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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723408">The Bloodstained Hero</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho'>ThatOnePsycho</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bloodborne (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Body Horror, For blood magic, Good Parent Midoriya Hisashi, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, If Mirio is Superman, Izuku is Grimdark!Batman, Kendou Itsuka Is In Class 1-A, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Mineta Minoru is in Class 1-B, Self-Harm, She's trying ok?, Toogata Mirio Has One for All Quirk, You try having a Hunter for a son</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:08:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>59,227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723408</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Izuku Midoriya was a strange boy, quiet, skilled, half-cut with blood, as all the best Hunters are... and determined to become a hero. A Hunter may be a Hunter, even in a Dream, but what about in a school full of heroes?</p><p>https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/TheBloodstainedHero, Now with a TV Tropes page in need of Wiki Magic Love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hagakure Tooru &amp; Midoriya Izuku, Jirou Kyouka &amp; Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku &amp; Toogata Mirio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>bnha fics i dream about 🌙</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>HEY KIDS, WANT TO SEE WHAT PSYCHO DOES WHEN HE LOSES HIS MIND!?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>This takes place after a variant ending I'm tentatively calling 'the rejection of childhood".</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X Tenya X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everybody say YEAAAHH!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence stretched in the wake of the yell from the presenter, the pro hero Present Mic. Iida Tenya wondered if it was because everyone was exhausted from the written portion of the test they had just completed. He hoped not, it wouldn't reflect well on the top hero school of the nation if they were tired after some simple math, Japanese, science and quirk history!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the school of All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist and, of course, Ingenium! They could only accept the absolute best, if the students weren't ready, why were they-?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenya's eyes landed on one boy down the row from him, head tilted back and curly green hair falling into his eyes as his chest raised in a rhythmic pattern. Was he… </span>
  <em>
    <span>asleep</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Was he even taking this remotely seriously?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tough crowd," Present Mic said, more to himself than them, before pulling up a video on the screen behind him, "Now, I'm sure you're all ready for the practical portion of the exam, yeah?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Those words sent electricity sparking through the crowd, almost everyone sitting up in their chairs. A blond boy with messy hair grins, red eyes glimmering with excitement.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And still the green haired one next to him sleeps, the energy not affecting him in the slightest. This…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, if you'll check your pamphlets," Present Mic held up one as an example, shaking it, "You'll see what testing area you're assigned to! Once you get there, you'll be fighting artificial villains, which are also on them. They're worth three values, One, Two, and Three! Your goal is to defeat as many as possible in the time giv-"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me!" Tenya thrust up his hand after glancing at the pamphlet and immediately noticing something, "Forgive me, but there are four silhouettes on this pamphlet. If there was a change, it reflects badly on UA to not show it on official documents. And furthermore, you, with the green hair! It's rude for you to sleep through such an important presentation!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The blond snorted as green didn't respond, continuing to sleep in spite of the direct addressing. Well, if he had been capable of sleeping through Present Mic's shouts, there was no reason he should have expected to wake him up, honestly.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"A great question, thanks for calling in Listener!" Present Mic said with a nod, "The last artificial villain is worth no points! It's not impossible to destroy, but there's no real point, so it's better to just avoid it. Now, before you all go, I want to leave you with a sound bite from Napoleon Bonaparte, 'A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes.’ So remember to go beyond, Plus Ultra!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eye, Tenya watched the green haired boy's eyes flicker open as he sat up with a stretch and grabbed his pamphlet. For a second, his left eye seemed to kaleidoscope through yellow, to red before settling on a luminescent green as he used a black gloved left hand to push his hair out of his eyes, locking onto Present Mic with wide eyes, like he had only just noticed who was giving the speech.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Had he fallen asleep during the </span>
  <em>
    <span>test</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That… explained a lot more.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Farewell, Good Hunter. May you prove your worth to the waking world."</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared up at the city in front of them, feeling the ghost of beloved porcelain pressing against his face. He felt so naked in the gym clothes of Aldera Middle School, without the uniform he had come to create on the Night of the Hunt, designed with Gehrman's help and sewn by the Doll's loving hand, even if it would draw attention until he was a hero course student.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing down,Izuku cracked a small smile at the Messengers staring up at it with reverence, red fabric wrapped around part of their face in quiet emulation of him. They were bundled into several groups, each one working together to hold a weapon to offer him, or supplies. Izuku took a curved sword from one group, sliding a hinged handle onto his back, and took Evelyn from another, the break-action pistol sitting ready as he also took a small supply of Quicksilver Bullets.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Maria and Gehrman, he'd honor them both today, because him and the Doll was the last legacy of the Hunter's Workshop.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright!" The exuberant voice of Present Mic said as the door rumbled open, "Go!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku didn't waste any time, rushing through the crowd and into the gates. Eyes landing on the first robot as its red eye locked onto him, Izuku went low, dodging the hail of bullets crackling with electricity as he did. Siderite flashed in the sun as Izuku landed on the bot, decapitating it in one blow and leaping from it towards the next one. Evelyn fired, mercury and Izuku's blood merging together as it ripped through the red eye of the robot, shutting it down.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, against his will, an excited grin split across Izuku's face, the blood of beasts pumping through his veins. He dropped Evelyn, letting the little ones catch it as he pulled the haft of the Burial Blade off his back and connected it, transforming the curved sword into a scythe and charged towards a group of three robots in a burst of smoke as Present Mic's voice echoed across the city. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku still couldn't believe he'd missed a presentation from a Pro, even if it meant he had gotten to talk with the Doll.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's got the right idea, Listeners! There are no countdowns in real life! The clock is ticking, go, go, go!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku swung the Burial Blade in a swirl, a low dirge coming from the blade as it took the head off two bots. The blade that had defined the Hunter's Workshop felt so comfortable in his good hand.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He did his damned best to ignore his bad one. He wasn't going to use it unless it was necessary, and right now it wasn't. Far from it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Part of Izuku, the part that had come into existence with a transfusion he didn't remember, wished there was something to simulate blood from the robots. Oil or something.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Ochako </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ochako ran into the simulated city, watching the green haired boy rest a </span>
  <em>
    <span>scythe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all things, across his shoulder as his eyes raked the area, an ornate pistol in his other hand. And that was strange itself, because the scythe was tarnished and clearly hadn't been taken care of, the blade looking to be rusted and pitted in some places, and the haft held together with bandages.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Talk about weird, why use a scythe like that? Especially when the other weapon was clearly so well cared for?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the boy dropped the scythe, it seemingly sinking into the ground in a cloud of mist before he grabbed another weapon. This one more in line with the gun, being an ornate with engravings along it and a red cloth wrapped around the sheath.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He rushed by Ochako in another cloud of mist, nodding to her with a quiet smile as they passed, and bisecting another bot through the clutter of four red eyes before firing the gun at a second. Oh, shoot, the test! </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ochako ran off, looking for bots to take out. She didn't have time to be distracted by boys with strange Quirks, her parents were counting on her!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Itsuka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Itsuka wrapped her hand around the head of the robot aiming at a boy with frizzy purple hair and bags under his eyes, crushing it with ease and smiling at him, "That was close! Good thing I made it in time!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"..." the boy just stared at her, something dark in his eyes. Finally, he gritted out a quiet, "Thank you."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're-"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Target locked!</b>
  <span> Itsuka whipped around, growing her hand to take the hail of taser shots with a slight flinch. Dang, she shouldn't have let her guard do- </span>
  <b>Sloppy, He-</b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Itsuka blinked as the robot suddenly stopped attacking, lowering her hand so she could see past it. Standing on it, a strange mix of European longsword and katana in his left hand was a green haired boy. He slid the blade into the sheath, the bot severing into several pieces as he did, before he smiled at Itsuka, bowing slightly, "Hello."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello," Itsuka said, waving, "Thank you for the help. You didn't need to do that, I mean, you could be getting more points."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Makes more sense to work together," the boy said, "Even if we're fighting right now, when we're heroes we need to be able to work together. I like your Quirk."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Itsuka said, smiling at him, "Yours must be pretty effective too. I'd ask how it works, but-"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"-We should get back to the exam," the boy said, "I'd love to after though. I'm Izuku Midoriya."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kendo Itsuka," she said, "Good luck with the rest of the test."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Same," Izuku said, gripping the sword hilt tighter and heading towards a three pointer without flinching. He suddenly vanished in a burst of mist, appearing on the three pointer with the sword drawn and letting the metal drop in two. Itsuka gave one last smile at the boy she had saved before heading towards the nearest bot.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Shota </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Aizawa Shota was a man of quiet logic, someone who didn't speak unless he had to, preferring to take in information and assess it in his head. And what he was assessing was causing a quiet, confused scowl to slowly spread under the cover of his capture scarf.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy, Izuku Midoriya, fought like a veteran. Oh, sure, there were kids in the test who had clearly ignored the Quirk Regulation Laws (and rightly so. Training could save lives. Might have saved Oboro's), or kids who had martial arts training they were mixing with their Quirk, like the redhead or the boy with the monkey tail, but none of them used the sheer pragmatism of Midoriya. The type of pragmatism that came from experience, and a lot of it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Knives appeared in flashes of mist from his left hand, flying towards the villain bots and struck with minimal damage, despite lodging themselves into weak points in the robots. Then, as the bot turned from whoever they were harassing, Midoriya was on them in a burst of mist, often times literally, weapon carving through without a hint of hesitation.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And then there were the weapons. A curved sword that connected with a haft to turn into a scythe, the bastard offspring of a katana and a european longsword, a double bladed weapon of similar make that could split into a saber and dagger and a break action pistol with engravings. And somehow, in his gut, Shouta knew that wasn't all of them. That the boy could have drawn more weapons from the mist, but was limiting himself to those for some reason.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And each was used with more skill than a boy his age had any right to. One weapon, maybe. But three, four if you counted the curved blade and scythe as separate weapons and five if you counted the saber and rapier. The boy was dangerous, that wasn't a question. Warping Quirks often were in high demand, but rarely did you see someone use it efficiently as he did. They normally were used for bringing in reinforcements, not plunging yourself into the heart of the battle.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kan," Shouta spoke, eyes locked onto the screen, "Applicant 341, I want him in my class when he passes."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was little doubt in Shouta mind that Midoriya Izuku was going to pass. The boy was ripping through the villain bots like it was going out of style, rescuing trapped applicants as he went and racking up a steady supply of rescue points. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kan nodded, the permanent scowl on his face not letting up as he glanced at Shouta, "Someone caught your interest, Eraser?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Something like that," Aizawa said, eyes narrowed as the zero pointers were released.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And that, inevitably, was when everything went to shit. But in a way Shouta certainly as hell wasn't expecting.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku turned as the ground rumbled, staring up at the massive robot walking towards them. Immediately, two thoughts crossed the young hunter's mind.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The first was 'where had they been hiding that'? It was bigger than every building in the simulated city! The second, an excited grin starting to split his face as the Old Blood sang, was 'that's probably worth a lot of points to take down…'</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku dropped the Chikage and Evelyn, trusting the Messengers to hold onto them as he took the offered blade of the Rakuyo. Ignoring the people running away from the robot, Izuku lifted the blades… and plunged them into his chest, pain spiking through it before he ripped them out. Blood stuck to the blades as he held the one in his right hand out, dashing past two smaller robots. A thin line of blood swung out, severing them in two as Izuku continued his path towards the giant robot. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, Izuku heard it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"H-help me!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"H-help me!" Izuku stopped, sewer water sloshing around his feet as he tightened his grip on the cane-sword. Then he took off at a run, cocking back the hammer of his pistol as he went, "Plea-!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A sickening squelch filled the sewers as Izuku slowed to a halt, watching the body of a little girl hang loosely from the mouth of a giant pig. The beast started to turn towards him, it never got the chance before his cane snapped into whip form, ripping a jagged line through the flesh around its eyes as Izuku charged forward. A yell like the people of Yharnam rose from his mouth, the next blow ripping through the pig's side.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku turned, rushing towards the side even as he scooped up a vial from the Messengers, jamming it into his side to activate his healing. Stopping in front of a girl trapped under some rubble, he lowered himself to her level, "Can you move?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"No- You're bleeding!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that wasn't anything new to talk about. Izuku spent more time with blood of some sort on him than he did without, "I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku wrapped his left hand around the first piece of rubble, throwing it aside easily. Before he could move the next one, Kendo rushed up next to him. Their eyes met, and Izuku cracked a small smile before together they began to dig the girl out of the rubble.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Izuku paused.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>If there was rubble…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku craned his head up, meeting the red eyes of the giant robot. Well, that was an Amygdala sized failure…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku was starting to think he should go out of his way to avoid multi-eyed giants. It never seemed to end well for him, either he got dragged into a Nightmare, or he lost an arm, or… yeah, it just didn't end well.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Grabbing the offered weapon from the Messengers, Izuku jumped over the rubble, sliding the Chikage into its sheath and feeling his blood begin to move towards the blade. One.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku shifted his stance, preparing for the attack as the robot raised a hand. Two.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Thr-</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>*BZZZZZ*</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"And that's time!" Present Mic said, "If you're injured, please stand by! If you're not, you're free to go.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that was a damn buzzkill.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I should," Izuku said, letting go of the blade, "I should actually head out. There's s-someone waiting to hear how I did, and I completely spaced it. Maybe… Maybe we can talk about Quirks once school starts? Assuming we both get in."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"That sounds good," Kendo said, smiling at him, "And I'm sure we will! You were amazing out there."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Izuku said with a smile, turning and walking away from them. Time to actually visit his dear friend.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Itsuka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Itsuka watched the boy vanish with a sigh, turning to the girl still half trapped under the rubble of the building, giving her a smile and continuing to lift it off her, "Hey, don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there. Are you hurt?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I might have sprained my leg," she said with a wince.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then don't move it more," Itsuka said, "What's your name? I'm Kendo Itsuka."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uraraka Ochako," the brown haired girl said, "Who was he?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Izuku Midoriya," Kendo said, a slight frown pulling at her face for a second, "Or maybe it's Midoriya Izuku?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Why would he use western naming order?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku let the fog overtake him once he was a decent distance away from UA, eyes closing and fading away. When he opened his eyes, it was to a field of white flowers surrounded by gravestones, a fire damaged workshop a small distance away. Ten months hadn't been enough to repair it yet, especially with Izuku focused on getting into UA, and what he needed to do for that.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku walked past the rotting body, not bothering to offer it a look as he took the long way up towards the workshop. Kneeling before twin headstones was a woman with pure white skin, grey hair held by a bonnet, "I'm home."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Welcome home," she said, standing and turning towards him. Her voice was tinged with a salvic accent, "If I had known you would have returned so quickly, I would have started the fire. Give me a moment."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine," Izuku said, stepping into the fire damaged house and watching the Doll begin to add logs to the fireplace before walking towards the workbench and popping off Isshin with a stifled hiss. The stump of his left arm didn't particularly like the cold, but he wasn't going to let the Doll beat herself up over it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"How was your hunt?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sporting," Izuku said, "The little ones helped a lot."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"And Isshin?" The Doll asked.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well enough," Izuku said, "but I didn't get to try everything. There will be time. Do you want to continue the story?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it is not too much trouble," the Doll said, "I would think you'd like to work on Isshin."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're more important," Izuku said, "the first and dearest of all my friends."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed slightly, covering her mouth, "And what of Kacchan?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"...The dearest of all my friends," Izuku amended, taking the book from her and sitting down.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Isshin </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Isshin: A Hunter's Tool/Trick Weapon designed by Izuku Midoriya to replace his left arm after its loss to the Moon Presence from a combination of Bones of Old Hunters, porcelain and siderite. The first of a new generation of weapons from the forgotten Hunter's workshop, it holds a blade forged from the same siderite meteor as Old Gehrman's Burial Blade within the forearm as an emergency weapon, and is capable of deploying it both as a katar or a kama like blade.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It's true purpose, however, is to drain Izuku's blood to augment his Quickening so his attacks reach the point of the Sword Saint it was named after, if only for a moment.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>AN </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good, bad, mad or meh?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Today on Psycho being a lazy asshole who wants to go work on other stuff to deal with his mental breakdown for a bit but wanted to get another chapter of this out first...</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X Inko X---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Inko Midoriya silently wrung her hands, chewing her cheek as she watched Izuku fight with his tie. There were so many things she wanted to say. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>That she was sorry that she hadn't told him what he wanted, needed, to hear that day so many years ago. That she wanted to know what had happened the day he unlocked his Quirk, that had caused some of the luster to fade from his eyes. That she wanted to know where he had gotten the too pale prosthetic he seemed so adept at using.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead she said, "Do you want my help?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure," Izuku said, letting go of the tie and letting Inko fix it with a smile, "Thanks, Mom."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome," she said, before wringing her hands, "and Izuku… I'm so, so proud of you."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku met her eyes, smiling at her as he pulled on his backpack, "Thanks."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he was gone, the door shutting behind him with a loud click. Inko sighed, falling back into her chair and feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. She needed to get past this, she needed to ask her son those questions, before it became too late to.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She could only hope it wasn't already too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku stepped into the nearly empty classroom, quietly smiling at the black haired girl already there and offering his hand, "Hi."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello!" She said, giving a slight how in the chair she was seated in, but not taking the offered hand. Izuku lowered it with a hidden sigh, he really needed to get out of that habit, this wasn't Yharnam, "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Izu-" Izuku started, before coughing into his hand. You could take the man out of Yharnam, but apparently couldn't take the Yharnam out of the Hunter, "Midoriya Izuku. It's nice to meet you."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"The pleasure is all mine," she said, before her eyes landed on the black glove covering Isshin, "is that allowed?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Student handbook says we're allowed to make some customizations," Izuku said. He had scanned the damn thing three times, because otherwise Isshin was going to lead to some problems.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright then," Yaoyorozu said, nodding as Izuku found his desk and sat down. Leaning his head back, Izuku closed his eyes and abandoned consciousness. If someone needed him, they'd wake him.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Appearing in the workshop, Izuku smiled as he glanced out the window to see the Doll tending to the garden, before grabbing a hammer and heading towards one of the more damaged boards. He'd put replacing that one off for far too long, considering it was so close to the front door.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Bakugo Katsuki stormed towards the room marked 1-A, a man on a mission. And that mission was to track down that damn nerd Deku and throttle the answers he had been trying to get for the last three weeks out of him. How the hell had he got </span>
  <em>
    <span>ahead </span>
  </em>
  <span>of him? Deku was a Quirkless nobody, while Katsuki had one of the strongest Quirks out there! </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, sure, it was because of some </span>
  <em>
    <span>bullshit </span>
  </em>
  <span>rescue points they hadn't been told about, but that didn't change the fact that Katsuki's debut had been completely and utterly ruined. He was supposed to leave the extras from Aldera in the fuckin' dust, bury the stupid incident with that sludge guy and move on, </span>
  <em>
    <span>goodbye</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the end.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Grabbing the door, Katsuki threw it open with a growl, eyes scanning the half a dozen people in the room before he stormed towards where Deku was sitting, legs crossed and head bowed. Slamming his hand onto the desk, Katsuki let loose a set of crackles and bangs. Not enough to damage the desk, he doubted UA would let him get away with damaging property like that, but enough to draw everyone's attention, "Wake up!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Deku didn't say anything for a moment, and Katsuki raised a hand so the palm was facing the ceiling, getting ready to let off another set of crackles and ignoring the boy wearing glasses walking towards them before Deku quietly spoke, in something that certainly as hell wasn't Japanese… English, maybe? "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lady Maria would have hated you</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"What!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm awake, Kacchan," Deku said, raising his head to meet Katsuki's eyes, red eyes meeting  green, "What is it? I was in the middle of something."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A nap wasn't something, it was half of what Deku </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>now, "What are you doing here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"This was the class I was assign-" Deku winced as the crackle went off, rubbing his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's not what I mean," Katsuki growled, "I mean, how did a Quirkless nobody get into UA's Hero Course!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," Deku said, "I'll ask when I see them."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I MEAN-!" Katsuki growled at the rasp that entered his voice, coughing into his hand. Goddamn sludge, "I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you idiot."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I took the test," Deku said, voice becoming dry, "and I passed."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You-!" Katsuki growled, reaching for Deku's shirt, only for a hand to swing down between them, stopping him. Katsuki growled at the glasses wearing teen, "What!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's enough!" He said, "I don't know what past you two have, but there is no need to get physical </span>
  <em>
    <span>or</span>
  </em>
  <span> use your Quirk! Midoriya and I shared a testing site, and I'm not sure what you meant by calling him Quirkless! He was quite adept at using it during the exam."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>What the-? "Deku doesn't have a Quirk!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you know my name?" Deku asked, tilting his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I memorized the seating order!" The taller boy said, "so unless you're in the wrong seat, you would be Izuku Midoriya, correct?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Deku said, before looking at Katsuki, "I unlocked my Quirk ten months ago, Kacchan."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You did what!?" Katsuki snapped, "You don't have-"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Clearly I do," Deku said, tilting his head down, "Now I'm gonna try and finish what I was doing before our teacher gets here. Please leave me alone."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Katsuki wanted to grab him, to demand answers, but under the eyes of the dozen people who had come in, he turned with a snarl and took his seat, throwing his feet up onto the desk. A quirk, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ridiculous</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Shouta wormed his way towards the open door to his class. Good, it had really killed the intended reaction when he had to get out of his sleeping bag to open the door last year. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Entering the room, Shouta took a moment to examine the gathering of students, eyes passing over the pink skinned girl talking with a redhead and a floating girl's uniform (Ashido Mina, Kirishima Eijiro, and Hagakure Toru, his mind supplied), the redhead with her hair in a side ponytail talking to a black haired girl (Kendo Itsuka and Yaoyorozu Momo) and the boy sleeping in his chair, head bowed so it touched his rhythmically rising and falling chest. The strange teen, Midoriya Izuku.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh…" Yaoyorozu said, eyes locking onto him after a minute, "Who are you…?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Shouta waited for everyone to fall silent, then with ease that came from years of practice, stood up in his sleeping bag, swallowed an energy drink in one long draught and used the same arm to unzip the bag, letting it fall to the ground around him with a thud. Midoriya's breathing changed slightly, and Shouta hid the small, amused smile under his capture tape. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>How long was he going to pretend he was still asleep?</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"It took you," Shouta checked his watch, "Forty seconds to notice me and another thirty to quiet down. Class starts… now."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>With perfect timing, the sound of a bell chiming came out of the loudspeaker, causing a girl with purple hair and earlobes like headphone jacks (Jiro Kyoka) and Midoriya to wince. Shouta felt a slight spike of pity, yeah, that was about the normal response to the loudspeaker going off if you had heightened senses. When you could have loud things happening (especially in the support and heroic departments), you needed to up the volume of the damn things so if there was an emergency they wouldn't be drowned out.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, it was a good lesson, because that was going to be her weakness. Loud noises were a common risk during a battle, and she'd need to find a way around them just as much as Shouta had needed to find a way around dust. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Thanks again, Oboro.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not here to socialize, you're here to learn to be heroes," Shouta said, "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Now follow me, we're going to do some assessment tests. And Midoriya, I know you're awake, stop pretending otherwise."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know who you were," Midoriya said, eyes opening, "if you thought I was asleep, I could get the jump on you."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Smartass or pragmatist? Shouta supposed they would see soon enough, "Now you know. Come on, we're wasting time."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"What about orientation?" A brown haired girl said, raising her hand. Uraraka Ochako.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"A waste of time," Shouta brushed off, "Now stop wasting time, head to the locker rooms, find your locker and get changed into the gym outfits there. Am I understood?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, I have a question," Midoriya said, walking past him, "are there changing booths?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Got something to hide, Midoriya?" Shouta said.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"...Kinda."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"There aren't," Shouta said, "but tell me what it and I might be able to help you."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Midoriya bit his lip, clutching his left arm before leaning in. Shouta tilted his head, "I'm… I'm missing my left forearm, sir. I-it's a prosthetic, and I'd rather people didn't ask questions this early. If that's alright."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Shouta glanced down at the black gloves on both hands, noticing writing in English embroidered on them, three lines on the left, two on the right. He'd need to ask Hizashi to get a translation for him of what it said, and lowered his voice, "You know they're gonna have to find out eventually, right? It isn't rational to put it off."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't want to waste time," Midoriya said, and Shouta shot him a bemused look.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Shouta said, "Throwing my own words at me, Midoriya? Fine, grab your uniform and meet me outside the changing room, but you're going to have to tell them eventually, that wasn't a lie."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Midoriya bowed his head, "Thank you, sir."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"And stop it with that sir nonsense," Shouta said, "It's Aizawa-sensei, understand?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, si- ehhhhh, Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya bowed, rushing out of the room. Shouta turned towards the other students, meeting Jirou's widened eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"And what part of stop wasting time did you all forget?" Shouta said, walking out of the room with his hands in his pockets, "hurry up!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And stop it with that Sensei nonsense, boy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I-I can't do that Gehrman-sens- OW!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What did I just say? It's pointlessly cumbersome for you to use my name every time you speak to me, boy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>C-cumb-?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It slows us down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then-then what do I call you Gehrman-sen- sir?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sir… sir will do, if you have to call me something, boy. Now, what is it you wanted?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why do you look at the doll like that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because a damned fool made it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Th-then why don't you get rid of it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>...Because the damned fool can't bring himself to.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku stepped out of the lounge in the tracksuit, pulling on his gloves as he went. Or, well, the right glove. He wasn't gonna risk someone noticing Isshin.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"That was… surprisingly quick," Aizawa-sensei said as Izuku stepped out of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>You got used to changing on the fly, when you were covering up a fake hand for ten months, "I'm used to changing quickly. I just didn't know where there was a place to change where people wouldn't come across me."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"...So, how did you lose an arm at fifteen?" Izuku's jaw jumped, and he snapped his eyes shut as a growl began to rise up, "...That bad, huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I expect an answer one day," Aizawa said, hands in his pockets, "now, let's get going, I want these to be over and done with already so I can grab some shut eye."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, "I know what you mean."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I doubt it," Aizawa said, "You don't pull double shifts."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, he did, actually. Sometimes he did triple, in fact. But that wasn't something to say right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"By the way," Aizawa drawled, "How's your ability to send a ball flying?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"With what?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anything you can get your hands on without leaving a circle."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku glanced down at the Messengers holding up a pair of objects, before nodding to Aizawa, "Good."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good to hear," Aizawa said.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I’m gonna go die for a few hours, then get to work on that Necromancer Izuku fic</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A day will come when I stop tearing through this story like a maniac because it's easier than finishing the concept for Izuku as a Necromancer, but is not this day. A day may also come where I promise multiple things in a single chapter and they're actually there, but it is not this day. And a day may come where I shake off my RWBY writing and actually write a male student that is not Izuku or Katsuki, also not this day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X Kyoka X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoka watched Midoriya step into the circle, cracking the fingers of his right hand with and stretching it. So that was probably the flesh one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That thought alone caused Kyoka to hide wince of guilt. She hadn't meant to overhear what Midoriya had been saying, it just- it was hard not to when you had enhanced hearing. Should she tell him she knew? She should probably tell him she-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoka's internal debate stopped as Midoriya reached down into a fog that was forming below his feet and pulled out. Oh, fuck, was that a </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannon</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoka pulled her earphone jacks up as high as they would go, throwing her hands over her ears as Midoriya slammed open the back of the gun with his right hand, loading the ball Aizawa had handed him and some sort of glistening liquid. Kyoka glanced over as the black haired girl offered her a pair of black ear muffs. Those looked like the noise cancelling headphones she had as a kid…!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Grabbing them, Kyoka mouthed a thank you towards the other girl and pulled them on, literally racing Midoriya as he slammed the cannon closed and angled it, planting his feet as he did. Wait, he wasn't actually going to-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya staggered back a step as the cannon went off, still a loud roar through the noise cancelling ear muffs. The cannon dropped a second later, hitting the mist and sinking like it was being lowered gently. Pulling off the ear muffs, Kyoka offered them back to Yaoyorozu, who shook her head, "Keep them, I can make more with my Quirk."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Well, whatever it was it was clearly a useful Quirk, "Thanks."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't thank me," Yaoyorozu said with a small, embarrassed laugh, "I'm probably going to do something similar for my attempt. It just makes the most sense."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"...That wasn't what I was expecting when you said you could send it flying," Aizawa-sensei said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Not far enough?" Midoriya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I've seen better, I've seen worse. I just wasn't expecting a cannon," Aizawa said, "or you not breaking your arm firing it like that. Do I want to know where you got it from?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My Quirk leads to a pocket dimension of sorts," Midoriya said, shrugging, "I keep a lot of stuff in there."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Like a cannon?" Kyoka deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Pair of them, technically," Midoriya said, "and a gatling gun."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You mean a rotary gun?" Yaoyorozu said, "not one from Richard Gatling, there are so few of those left."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Right," Midoriya said with a laugh, scratching the back of his neck, "I don't really know guns that well, just what I picked up as I… well, as I picked up some."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Stop socializing," Aizawa deadpanned, turning his phone towards them, 854.2 meters on it, "We'll talk about the obvious downside of your Quirk later, Midor-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's that I need to draw something from the Dream," Midoriya said, reaching up to rub his chest, "I know siiiiii- Aizawa-sensei!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good," Aizawa said, "and we're going to be doing a series of tests, and you're all free to use your Quirks across them. But I'm warning you now, if you don't impress me, this won't just be your first day at UA. It'll be your last."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X Shouta X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shouta watched Midoriya walk towards the class, eyes narrowing. Pocket dimension warping was what was listed in his Quirk registration. But then was his teleportation a clever application of entering and leaving it, like Togata? Or something else, not the full story, maybe?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Probably, given his augmented speed and him running himself through during the Entrance Exam. But what was he hiding? And why? Could the pocket dimension actually be incidental? It didn't seem likely, and it certainly wouldn't be rational to lie about his Quirk so much, but Eraserhead had seen too much unlikely, irrational things to dismiss it out of hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll start with the fifty yard dash," Shouta drawled, "Iida, Asui, you're first up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was going to have some research to do after school, between the gloves, his Quirk and his strange weapons, Midoriya was going to be a pain in his neck, he could tell.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X Katsuki X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Katsuki watched as Deku wandered over to the side of the fence, reaching down to scoop up a burned notebook and metal mechanical pencil from the mist around his feet, grinding his teeth. Goddamnit, they weren't joking. The nerd actually had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Quirk</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The floating gym outfit slid down next to him, and Deku completely missed her as he focusing on the two extras lining up at the starting line. The simulated noise of a gun going off cracked across the space, and both took off. Deku's pencil flashing as he began jotting down notes, only to blink and stop as invigirl asked him something, turning to her like he had only realized she was there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Katsuki's hands clenched shut, and he wanted to walk over and demand more answers he </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> hadn't got from Deku. When the hell had he got a Quirk? How had he kept it hidden? Why had he kept it hidden?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bastard was playing with him, hadn't he? He'd been laughing behind Katsuki's back as he got his stupid Quirk, thinking he was better then him and ignored the fact that Katsuki had been struggling against the damage that villain had done, hadn't he!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Bakugo," the teacher said, shooting a glare at him, "stop it with the firecracker display, you're distracted people, and if you don't stop I'm going to assume you're trying to sabotage your classmates. Am I understood?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Katsuki clenched his hands shut, "Yeah, yeah."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good," he said, turning back to the two who had just gone, a boy with bright red hair in gelled spikes and another with multiple arms and a mask across his lower face, "Do that again, I want an accurate judgment of your abilities, even if your Quirks don't actively help with it. But in the future, you're going to have to learn to filter things better, and that goes the same for you Jiro. If you get distracted during a fight, someone can and will die, maybe you, maybe a fellow hero, or maybe the civilians you're supposed to be keeping safe. But on the flipside, if you drown everything out, the same thing might happen if someone really needed your help."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Bit like walking a tightrope then?" Mask asked, lifting up a hand that had a mouth on the end of it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Not just a bit," Teach said, "everything about being a hero is a balancing act, but that isn't important right now, do the dash again so we can continue on."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then why the hell bring it up? It was nonsense anyways, all you needed to do to be a hero was be strong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku took the notebook and metal pencil from the Messengers, giving a small smile to them. The children of the dream smiled up at him in turn with malformed mouths, those that had an eye were glowing with happiness, "Thank you, Little Ones."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Messengers slid into the mist, and Izuku adjusted his position so he could watch his classmates. The boy with blue-black hair reached down, pulling up the legs of his pants to reveal blocky calves with mufflers coming out of them. He adjusted his glasses before planting his hands on the ground in a sprinters pose.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wasn't there a family of heroes that had something like this? Was he part of them?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The noise of a gun came out of the camera robot, and the boy took off sprinting, speeding up every second. Izuku jotted down his time over fifty meters. He was slower than Izuku using Quickening, but he would probably be able to keep it up for longer, since his body was designed to put up with the strain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So," Izuku blinked, turning his head at the girl who had slid down next to him at some point. There was a faint shimmering around her, and when Izuku blinked and she stopped moving, she had disappeared entirely, leaving a floating gym uniform. It was like a localized elixir…"Why're you using a burned notebook?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku blinked again at the cheerfully asked question, looking down at the book and then back up to her. She tilted her head, the effect ripping and letting Izuku stare at her head. A bob of black hair swayed with the motion, equally dark eyes staring at him from a round, surprisingly pale face before she vanished again, "Uh… hi?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hi!" She said, a hand appearing in her sleeve as she waved at him, her face reappearing as she moved her head, a wide smile across her face. This was Willem's fault, in some way, shape or form, he was sure of it, "I'm Hagakure Toru!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh," Izuku bit his cheek. He wasn't used to interacting with people like this. People didn't normally trust a Hunter, with people outside half a step from Beasthood and more than willing to attack without prompting and those locked away not trusting them to not be a Beast. Eileen and Djura knew his name, but even then, he had seen the former Hunter of Hunter less and less as they found fewer sane survivors with each search of Yharnam, and Djura preferred to stay in Old Yharnam, watching over the Beasts that made the burned out city their home, "I-I'm Midoriya Izuku. It's nice to meet you."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Nice to meet you too," Hagakure said, "so?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So what?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What's with the burned notebook?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku looked down at it, working his jaw as he thought. Why hadn't he transferred the information to another notebook and thrown it away? There had to have been something important for him to have not thrown it away, right? "I… I don't remember, it's been a while."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hummed, "What's it for?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I… uh… it's Quirk analysis," Izuku said, "a hobby of mine. I-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Midoriya, Bakugo," Aizawa said, "You're up."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry," Izuku said, handing the notebook and pencil to the Messengers, who took it with the same quiet reverence Izuku would have treated a gift from All Might, "I need to do this. Maybe you could tell me about your Quirk later? If it's not too much to ask!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Sure!" Hagakure nodded, "I know I must look pretty weird, just clothes floating in air."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Was that what she was supposed to look like? "Uh… something like-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Midoriya," Aizawa said, and Izuku turned and rushed to the starting line. Closing his eyes, he breathed in, quicksilver pulsed through the marrow of his bones, and Izuku felt lighter. When the gun went off, he kicked off, crossing the first ten meters in a single burst of smoke and wasted no time following up on it until he was passing the finish line.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>2.8 seconds</span>
  </em>
  <span>! the robot chirped happily as Izuku closed his eyes and gulped down air. It was a good thing it hadn't been much longer, he probably only had one more consecutive Quickening in him at this point.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Itsuka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Itsuka watched Midoriya sit back down carefully, white smoke, or maybe mist, still rising off him as he did so. Theories ran through her head as it faded completely. If his Quirk was some sort of pocket dimension (which on its own seemed strange at first thought. Quirks were supposed to be grounded in something resembling biology, to the point it was, in 90% of cases, capable of identifying a Quirkless person by how the bones of their toe merged in early childhood. But then Itsuka considered Quirks like Best Jeanist's Fiber Master or Manderley's Telepathy, and was left idly wondering how </span>
  <em>
    <span>those</span>
  </em>
  <span> were the result of evolution) then how did that combined with the burst of speed she had just seen? Was space in it smaller, so he slid in and out as a form of teleportation? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And if so, was the key to beating him to time it for when the mist faded, as that was the sign that he was fully in the normal world instead of 'the Dream'? And what did it mean when the mist was rising off him, some sort of state where he was halfway between the Dream and Earth? Did that give him some form of intangibility? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions, but if there came a time she had to fight him, it'd be good information, especially if he was reliant on the ability for defense, or it might be a good idea to stay on the offensive, even if she couldn't hit him, to keep him from grabbing a weapon while between them. If that would even work…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Itsuka heaved a sigh. She was thinking about this way too hard, she'd have time to figure these things out if they actually sparred, when she'd hopefully know more about his abilities.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Kendo," Aizawa-sensei said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "You and Hagakure are up."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kendo nodded, lowering herself next to the their invisible classmate and preparing herself. The minute the gun went off, she grew her hands and kicked off, using the oversized appendages to throw herself forwards and then shrinking them as she went so she could move them in front of herself quickly, regrowing them and repeating the process.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>3.26 seconds</span>
  </em>
  <span>! the robot called as she flew across the finish line. Midoriya was watching her carefully, jotting something down in his notebook with a muttering.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---X C</span>
  <b>hat Logs: Shouta-Hizashi </b>
  <b>April 7th </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: What do these say? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: ...You're forcing those kids to do the test, aren't you?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Answer the question.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: I don't get why Nezu let's you do this.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It's not healthy. They're kids just starting out, Shouta. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Answer the question.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: You would have been expelled, you realize that, right? So would Nermuri and I. We don't have Quirks that could help with those tests.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Answer. The Damn. Question. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: Fine, fine. Give me a minute, I've got to finish handing out some paperwork.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: ...Where'd you get the picture of these?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: A student in my class wears them, why?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: It looks like gibberish. Like, it definitely makes some sense, but it's like all the context is missing.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: And it says?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: The left glove says "We are born of the Blood. Made men by the Blood. Undone by the Blood." That's 'Blood' as a proper noun, assuming it's grammatically correct. It's a weird poem, I guess. It's the other hand that feels out of place. It just says "Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: That's…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: Weird? Nonsense without context? What's eyes got to do with blood? Is 'the Blood' the same as 'the Old Blood'? What makes Blood Old, and why should it be feared if it is? It's probably just a weird kid thinking wearing English makes him cool.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: ...I don't think so.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: Really? Why?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Kid's the top ranking student from the practical. Bit weird, but not that type of weird. Think Togata.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: The one Shuzenji mentioned might need special accommodations for his missing arm?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You didn't read the medical files, did you?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Didn't have time.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: Bullshit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: I didn't. I had to read the Quirk Registrations, do a couple of jobs, and finish paperwork.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: No, bullshit. I was on the same jobs as you for the past month and a half, you definitely had time. You realize we could get in trouble for that, right?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shouta: Nobody would go after UA.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hizashi: There's a first time for everything. Just because we've dodged suits about you 'expelling' students before this point doesn't mean it'll never happen.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>The Next Day, Before Heroics. Izuku</b>
  <span> X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wish you would have been able to get the materials quicker," the Doll sighed, sitting in the corner of the workshop and weighing the ballistic weave Izuku had brought her, "And not the day you needed it done by."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku winced, giving a nervous laugh, "S-sorry. It's just, it's expensive, and even grabbing that much from the support course took two elixirs and a mark. I… I'm really sorry. You've got better things to be doing, I shouldn't-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't say that, Good Hunter," the Doll said, putting the weave onto her desk and standing up, resting a hard hand against Izuku's cheek, "if this will increase your safety, then I'm more than happy to work with it. But I won't have it done today."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So, we finally found a miracle you can't perform?" Izuku asked, drawing a smile from the Doll.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good Hunter, I don't perform miracles," Sure she didn't, she just made a Quirkless nobody capable of using a couple dozen weapons well enough to kill gods. Totally not a miracle, "You don't give yourself enough credit. Many Hunters passed through the dream before you came, few took to the Echoes as well as you did."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I- I said that aloud?" Izuku said, blushing, "Gehrman would-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Reprimand you fiercely," the Doll said, "but I prefer being able to cut your self-recriminations off."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair… and then sighing as he felt a Messenger tug his pant leg, "Someone's trying to wake me up. I should probably go and get ready."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Then Farewell, Good Hunter, And May You Prove Your Worth To The Waking World," the Doll said, a small smile on her lips as she bundled up the green dyed long coat and weave, "and I will begin my work on this."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll be back as soon as class ends," Izuku said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Would it not be better to attempt to get to know your future colleagues?" The Doll asked, "I will be here, working on this. If I need you, I will send the Little Ones to get you."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku chewed his lip, "Are you sure? I-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm used to the quiet," the Doll said. That just made Izuku feel worse about it, "Don't, I-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before she was finished Izuku was jerked back to his body, head snapping up to stare at the purple haired girl who woke him, "What?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoka watched the boy jerk upright, eyes landing on her, "What?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoka bit back the sarcastic barb about him being Aizawa's child, they certainly slept about as often. Instead, she breathed in, "Can I talk to you, alone?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya stared at her blankly, looking like he was still trying to catch up, "any reason it can't happen here?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but saying why would kinda ruin why I want to talk to you alone," Kyoka shot back, "I was going to ask you at lunch, but couldn't find yo- did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sleep </span>
  </em>
  <span>through lunch?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Kinda," Midoriya said, palming his face like he had a migraine, "I don't get hungry super often. Alright, let's go… uh?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Jiro Kyoka," Kyoka said, "Has anyone told you that you act like Aizawa?'</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya chuckled as they stepped out of the room and through the halls until they found an empty room. Midoriya swiped his hand over the desk in a burst of mist, grabbing a shot glass-sized bottle of red liquid with a stopper in it and popping it open before swallowing it. A second later, an iron scent hit Kyoka's nose as the bottle was dropped and hit the mist without a noise, "No, I've been a bit busy sleepin- what?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you just drink </span>
  <em>
    <span>blood</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Kyoka asked, mouth falling open, "What, are you a vampire or something?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"...Or something," Midoriya said after a moment, "It has to do with my Quirk, kinda. I could have done it intravenously, but I didn't think shooting up was going to look any better. What was it you needed, Jiro?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What did he mean 'kinda'!? Kyoka shook her head, earjacks swinging around like a pair of snakes. No, that didn't matter right now, she wasn't here to dig more into Midoriya's weirdass past, "I'm… I've gotta tell you something, because you deserve to know."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya nodded, "O… Ok?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My Quirk gives me enhanced hearing," Kyoka said, tapping her jacks together as Midoriya stared at her, face blank for a second before his eyes widened suddenly, and his grip on the desk suddenly tightened… with his right hand. The left clenched into a fist as he shoved it behind his back, "Yeah, sorry…"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Who did you tell?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wha-? I didn't tell anyone!" Kyoka insisted, "I'm not- dude, that'd be a bitch move. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn't supposed to know, running around telling other people? Yeah, that really wouldn't be cool. It's why I wanted to talk to you in private, I wanted to clear the air, let you know I knew…"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya fell back into the chair of the desk, slapping a hand across his face and working his jaw. Finally, he said, voice so low Jiro still had trouble picking it up, "Thank you."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Just do me a favor?" Kyoka said, "If you have to use that cannon again, warn me next time."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midoriya's eyes snapped open and he jumped up, blushing and bowing, "Oh, I'm sorry-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"For karma biting me?" Kyoka snarked, "Don't apologize for-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Both students flinched as the the bell rang, before sharing a look and rushing towards 1-A. There was no way they were going to be late for-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>"I am here!</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-their first class with All Might.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku slid on the black, long sleeved button up shirt, going up the buttons with his right hand before grabbing the equally black gloves with golden embroidery, pulling them back on. Grabbing his slate vest, he pulled that on too, sliding the brass bindings in place. He wished he had his coat, maybe then he wouldn't screw up and get Isshin found out on day one-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, duh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Little Ones," Izuku said softly as he began to lace up his right boot. Between his feet, a trio of Messengers appeared, "Go get a coat. Grey, like this."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Messengers watched him grab the grey vest before vanishing into the Mist. Izuku finished lacing the boots and wrapped the red bandana around his left eye, forcing the ocular muscle to dilate.  He toyed with the wide brimmed tophat, before tossing it to the Messengers as they appeared with a grey coat, taking it and sliding it on in a fluid motion. It wasn't quite the same, but would do for the day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Standing, Izuku opened the door and stepped outside. His brain stopped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then it restarted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then it stopped again, and too many eyes closed as he asked, voice resigned, "Hagakure, why are you naked?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izuku's gloves: A pair of black gloves made by a Doll from the silk shroud of a healing church priest and embroidered with the Adage of Byrgenwerth in golden silk from the Choir. Has a higher than normal resistance to the arcane, allowing Izuku to channel several spells before they are damaged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--- X AN X ---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sooner or later, I’ll finish trimming the fat on Nagash Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Toru </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Toru blinked as Izuku's eye closed, tilting her head and watching him, "That's… uh… very…?"</p><p> </p><p>"Victorian?" Momo offered, "you just need a top hat, Midoriya."</p><p> </p><p>"...I have one," Midoriya said, "just didn't seem that helpful at the moment. Why's Hagakure naked?"</p><p> </p><p>"You have a top hat?" Toru asked, face pulling into a wide grin, not that anyone could see it, and bounced up and down, "put it on! Put it on!'</p><p> </p><p>Midoriya gave a sigh and reached down into the mist around his feet, pulling out his top hat and plopping it on his head.. It was… disappointing, kinda.</p><p> </p><p>Like, she was sure that at some point it had been cool, but now it was old, with several severe nicks in the brim, which was curled up around the left and right edges. The top was sagging sadly forward, and there were several stains along the whole hat.</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah," Izuku said, shrugging with closed eyes, "I know."</p><p> </p><p>"You look stupid with that on," Bakugo said, barely even giving Izuku a look. </p><p> </p><p>"Says the guy wearing grenades on his arms," Jiro muttered.</p><p> </p><p>"It keeps stuff out of my eyes," Midoriya said.</p><p> </p><p>"Why didn't you ask your support company to make you a new one?" Momo asked.</p><p> </p><p>"...None of this is from a support company," Midoriya admitted.</p><p> </p><p>"DYI?" The blonde haired teen, Kaminari asked.</p><p> </p><p>"A gift from a friend," Midoriya said, "except the hat."</p><p> </p><p>"Then you should send in a request to the support company you were assigned!" Toru said, throwing up her hand, "You- huh?"</p><p> </p><p>She blinked as Midoriya suddenly offered her his long coat, shrugging it off and showing the vest he wore underneath, "Please put that on."</p><p> </p><p>"What?"</p><p> </p><p>"Part of my Quirk," Midoriya said, scratching his cheek, "lets me see things that I shouldn't be able to see… and, uh… I get why your outfit is so revealing, but it makes me uncomfortable for you to think I can't see you and I can't keep my eyes closed for the entire class."</p><p> </p><p>Toru stared at him for a long moment, mouth falling open as it dawned on her that Midoriya had kept his eye closed since coming out, "You… you can see me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah," Midoriya said, "Sorry…"</p><p> </p><p>Toru grabbed the jacket from him, pulling it over her body and buttoning it up as a blush exploded across her face, "I- no, it's fine. You didn't mean to, and were avoiding- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you! I'm good, you can open up your eye now."</p><p> </p><p>Midoriya did so as All Might coughed, giving the boy a smile, "<b>Quite noble of you, Young Midoriya. There are lesser men who would take advantage of the fact that people didn't know you could see her."</b></p><p> </p><p>"That's wrong," Midoriya said, "What are we doing today, sir?"</p><p> </p><p>Sir. Why did Midoriya default to sir?</p><p> </p><p><b>"Two on two indoor combat training</b> !" All Might said, gesturing to a set of balls with miniature versions of each member of 1-A's face plastered on them, " <b>With randomized partners to simulate the fact that you will need to learn how to work with others in the field! One team will be representing villains, and will have the goal to protect a bomb from the other team for ten minutes or capture the hero team! The hero team, meanwhile, has to either capture the bomb or the villains, now… let's draw teams and see who goes first!"</b></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>--- X <b>Teams </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Team A: Ashido Mina and Iida Tenya.</p><p>Team B: Asui Tsuyu and Kaminari Denki.</p><p>Team C: Midoriya Izuku and Jiro Kyoka.</p><p>Team D: Koda Koji and Shoji Mezo.</p><p>Team E: Tokoyami Fumikage and Aoyama Yuga.</p><p>Team F: Sero Hanata and Hagakure Toru.</p><p>Team G: Ojiro Mashirao and Yaoyorozu Momo</p><p>Team H: Bakugo Katsuki and Uraraka Ochako.</p><p>Team I: Sato Rikido and Todoroki Shoto</p><p>Team J: Kendo Itsuka and Kirishima Eijiro</p><p> </p><p>Match 1</p><p>Heroes: Team J.</p><p>Villains: Team C.</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Kyoka </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Kyoka sat on a crate as Midoriya walked around the room, studying things, "So…"</p><p> </p><p>"Mh?" Midoriya grunted, stopping as a box on the wall full of switches, with a larger switch ringing it. He wrapped a hand around the handle of that switch and threw it down, throwing the room into darkness, "Oh, good."</p><p> </p><p>"Good?" Kyoka asked, "I can't see a thing! What's good about it?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm used to fighting in the dark," Midoriya said, turning the lights back on, "If we have to. What did you want?"</p><p> </p><p>"Could you really see Hagakure?" Kyoka asked, twirling one jack, "and if we have to?</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," Midoriya said, "and since all we have to do to win is literally run down the clock, it's probably best for us to trap the area leading to us. Especially given the context of the exercise."</p><p> </p><p>Well, way to make her feel bad about taking as long as she did to tell him, "Context?"</p><p> </p><p>"We're trying to defend the bomb," Midoriya said, "not move it. Therefore, we can assume that this would be a suicide mission. If we can delay them long enough, the bomb goes off. If we can't, they defuse the bomb. So how much we damage the base doesn't really matter, because it would be destroyed at the end of the timer anyways."</p><p> </p><p>Kyoka's mouth fell open as mist formed around Midoriya's feet, revealing a box full of bottles, another full of string and the last with several guns. Oh, come- "Isn't this a bit overkill?"</p><p> </p><p>"No," Midoriya shook his head, "Kirishima and Kendo have Quirks more suited for hand to hand combat than us. I can probably beat them if push comes to shove, but it'd be better to delay them. I'm going to start trapping the lower floors."</p><p> </p><p>Kyoka watched Midoriya disappear down the hallway with an open mouth, finally muttering, "Has anyone told you you're one scary guy, Midoriya?"</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Toshinori </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Toshinori 'frowned', which was to say his smile got minutely smaller, as he listened to Midoriya. He wanted to reject the logic given, but running through it in his head, found he couldn't without essentially 'patching' the rules of the exercise. He'd have to talk to Nezu, Aizawa and Kan about this before he ran through it with 1-B, add an extraction point for the Villains or a simulated second team of villains to sweep the building for the Heroes.</p><p> </p><p>Because narratively, Midoriya's logic was spot on. If there was no need to escape, just keep the bomb defended for ten minutes, that meant the bomb was probably set to detonate at the end of the ten minutes, and therefore so long as the structural integrity of the building wasn't completely compromised prior to detonation, they had won. </p><p> </p><p>He just hoped Midoriya wasn't doing anything too drastic. He didn't need his first class going completely wrong.</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Eijiro </b>X---</p><p> </p><p><b>"Hero team</b> ," All Might's voice said in Eijiro ear, <b>"You can enter</b>."</p><p> </p><p>"You go first," Kendo said to Eijiro, "Your Quirk is better for defense, if they're waiting for us."</p><p> </p><p>Eijiro nodded, kicking open the door, and eyes widening as a brass shotgun went off, flecks of silver launching at him. He activated Hardening, flying over Kendo's head and landing in a crumpled pile before forcing himself up, the liquid bullets falling from his chest, "Who sets a gun at the front door!?"</p><p> </p><p>"Who kicks open a door when you don't know what's on the other side?" Midoriya asked, head appearing out the second story window, "That's asking for trouble!"</p><p> </p><p>Eijiro reactivated hardening as a set of serrated knives flew from Midoriya, deflecting them. Growling, he climbed up the wall, ignoring Kendo's call for him to wait as he burst through the window, Midoriya dodging the grab as another pair of string was ripped loose. Looking back, Eijiro threw himself back out the window as two molotov cocktails exploded in a burst of fire.</p><p> </p><p>"What the heck!?" He cried, landing in another roll, "That's not man-!"</p><p> </p><p>"We need to get moving," Kendo said, helping him up, "If he's set up traps here, they're probably all over the base, and it's going to take longer to get through them without- look out!"</p><p> </p><p>Eijiro staggered as Kendo pulled him forward, several knives slamming into the ground where he had been standing. Looking up at Midoriya, he felt his hair stand on end. In his right hand, a cane sat, in the left, a pistol angled at them, "Every minute you're standing out here is a minute closer to our victory, heroes. But if you come in, you <em> will </em> face the Hunt."</p><p> </p><p>Eijiro's hair stood on end at that threat, some part of him instinctively knowing that facing the hunt was <em> not </em> something he wanted to happen, "We're gonna win!"</p><p> </p><p>Midoriya's face split into a grin that only rose Eijiro's guard further. It was too wide, too beastial, "Good. I look forward to it."</p><p> </p><p>And then he was gone again.</p><p> </p><p>---X <b>Shoto </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Shoto watched another trap go off with a bang, sending Kendo flying back. What were in those guns, they couldn't be regular bullets, could they?</p><p> </p><p>"Doesn't this seem a bit… I dunno, unfair? Mean?" Kaminari asked, scratching his head.</p><p> </p><p>"No," Shoto said, narrowing his eyes, "He's being intelligent. Midoriya is letting Kendo and Kirishima tire themselves out before he has to confront them, while trusting Jiro to watch the bomb."</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but…" Kaminari said, "He's not even giving them the chance to win in a fair fight. It seems villainous."</p><p> </p><p>"Then he's a good method actor," Shoto said, "He's not supposed to be a hero right now, he's a villain."</p><p> </p><p>"<b>Well put, young Todoroki</b> !" All Might said, " <b>Villains rarely fight fairly. They will use psychological attacks, traps and other underhanded tactics to defeat you. While I do feel he's taken it further than he needs to, young Midoriya has taken to the spirit of the exercise!"</b></p><p> </p><p>"He's just being a coward," Bakugo scoffed, "he should just face them already."</p><p> </p><p>"I think you're going to get what you want," Asui ribbeted, "Look, he's starting to slow down and- what."</p><p> </p><p>On the screen, staring at Kendo, Midoriya had staggered back from a thrown punch as the redhead's fist expanded. Midoriya's grip on his cane tightened, and he reached up to his ear, saying something.</p><p> </p><p>Then the hallway they were in plunged into darkness, All Might hitting the button to turn the camera to night vision. Midoriya's left eye was practically glowing in the fluorescent green, and the right was rapidly joining it.</p><p> </p><p>"Night vision," Shoto said, "He can see her…"</p><p> </p><p>"But she can't see him," Kaminari said, "that's low."</p><p> </p><p>"No," Yaoyorozu said, "Even All Might uses ambush tactics if he has to."</p><p> </p><p>"Some Quirks aren't good for direct combat," Asui ribbited, "Midoriya's might be one of those."</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Izuku </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Izuku couldn't help the laugh as he ducked down a hallway, straining his ears. Well, that explained why Micolash was laughing, this was kinda fun.</p><p> </p><p>"Kirishima!" Kendo called, "Go after the bomb! I'll deal with Midoriya!"</p><p> </p><p>"What!?" Kirishima said, "are you sure-?"</p><p> </p><p>"We need to take it to win!" She called, heading towards Izuku, who stopped running and put his hand to his ear.</p><p> </p><p>"Jiro," Izuku said, "Kirishima is heading your way. I'll try to deal with Kendo then-"</p><p> </p><p><em> "I think I can deal with him </em> ," Jiro said, " <em> You need anything?" </em></p><p> </p><p>"...Hit the lights in section 3-C on my word," Izuku said, spinning the cane around as Kendo approached him. Izuku moved, swinging the flat of his blade toward her as he came out of the fog. Kendo jerked backwards, barely dodging the blow as Izuku turned the force into a figure eight and rapped her across the side of the head. Kendo took a staggering step back, eyes jumping erratically before throwing a quick punch at Izuku, who dodged it with a step backwards, "Going to have to try-"</p><p> </p><p>Izuku's lungs protested as Kendo's fist suddenly expanded, slamming into his torso and forcing out the air. Izuku stepped back, staring at her, "Don't underestimate me."</p><p> </p><p>"Jiro," Izuku said, voice pitching downwards as he pulled the bandana down around his neck, "Now."</p><p> </p><p>The lights turned off, darkness falling like a shroud while Izuku felt his right eye begin to adjust. Through his left, Izuku watched Kendo's eyes widen, "Wha-?"</p><p> </p><p>"<b>Blood!</b> " Izuku snarled, hitting the button on the cane and pulling his arm back, the whip concealed within coming out with a set of clicks, " <b>NOW</b>!"</p><p> </p><p>"<b>Midoriya!</b> " All Might boomed in his ear, " <b>Don't-</b>!"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine!" Kendo said, wrapping her hand around the threaded cane and yanking it from Izuku's hand, "Don't worry. Thank you, for making it easier for me to catch-"</p><p> </p><p>Izuku lunged forward, catching the offered Rakuyo and splitting it in two as Kendo dropped the cane. Izuku dodged the next punch, before going even lower as Kendo's fist grew. Rakuyo's dagger wrapped around her arm as he pulled her closer, orange staring into green before they both moved, her free hand colliding with Izuku's skull at the same time the hilt of Rakuyo did the same with Kendo's. Izuku staggered back, preparing Rakuyo as Kendo did the same.</p><p> </p><p>Isshin groaned as Izuku let down the barrier keeping his blood from flowing into the necrotic flesh. Mist rose off of him, and he launched himself at her with all the speed he could. Kendo's eyes widened as Izuku slammed his knee into her gut, both hilts crashing into her head seconds later and sending her staggering back. Izuku reeled back with Rakuyo's dagger, pinning her to the wall by the side of her dress before slamming her against it, "Stay-"</p><p> </p><p>Izuku staggered back as Kendo headbutted him, before dodging out of the way of the follow up punch as she used the other hand to free herself from Rakuyo, "I can do this all day, if I have to."</p><p> </p><p>"Fan of the classics, I see," Izuku said, drawing himself up, flipping Rakuyo around… and plunging it into his cheat.</p><p> </p><p>"<b>Midor-!</b>" Izuku ignored the yell for the pulse of his heartbeat as familiar pain spiked through him. Then he drew Rakuyo from its macabre sheath, a streak of blood flying from his chest as he caught a blood vial and jammed it into his flesh, watching Kendo fly back.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's see if you can actually keep up long enough to make good of it," Izuku said as she rose to her feet, and then he moved forward.</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>Itsuka </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Itsuka barely dodged the attack, ducking under the slash as it went wide. The hole in Midoriya's chest was stitching shut in front of her eyes, the hole in his outfit being the only sign he had been injured. Lashing up, she watched him dodge. She was going to have to move quicker if she wanted to pull this off.</p><p> </p><p>Itsuka rushed forward, watching Midoriya dodge. Once, twice, thrice, four, five- there!</p><p> </p><p>Midoriya slowed down, and Itsuka slammed into him, wrapping her capture tape around his legs and tightening it as Midoriya looked down at her. Itsuka grinned up at him as she pushed off of him, "Sorry, Midoriya."</p><p> </p><p>"You know this wouldn't work in an actual fight?" Midoriya asked.</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah," Kendo said, "I-"</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Kendo jumped as the yell echoed across the building, Midoriya huffing, "Looks like I delayed you long enough though."</p><p> </p><p>--- X <b>AN </b>X---</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Longer chapter this time. And good news, I figured out a fix for Nagashzuku, so that should see some progress (It was sitting in front of my face the entire time).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Longer chapter this time. And good news, I figured out a fix for Nagashzuku, so that should see some progress (It was sitting in front of my face the entire time).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Kyoka X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka stood, waiting for Kirishima to arrive with her right earphone an inch from her boot, the left one embedded in groun-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Blood</b>
  <span>!" Midoriya's voice bellowed, an unnatural timbre in it compared to the normal, soft spoken way he talked, "</span>
  <b>NOW</b>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jiro felt a shiver crawl up her spine as she heard the hiss of metal on metal. What was Midoriya doing?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DAMNIT!" Kirishima bellowed, bursting through the last line of molotovs Midoriya had set up before descending to harass the enemy team. His breaths were ragged, face covered in soot, arms shaking as his Quirk slowly began to fade. In short, he looked inches from passing out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, she might argue it was overkill, but she couldn't argue with the results. Midoriya has sure as hell worn the guy down. Now it was just up to her to deliver the coup de grace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it wasn't particularly hard, Kirishima had a tunnel vision, focusing on the bomb. Kyoka's earphone jack locked into place in her boot and sent the pulse of her heartbeat through the heavy duty speaker. Her teeth jumped from the echo of the attack burning in her ears and her leg aching. Despite that, the effect on Kirishima was undeniably more effective.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy staggered back, clutching his ears as the pulse hit him from behind. At the end of the heartbeat, the boy turned towards her, bomb forgotten, and hardened his face, charging at her with a telegraphed punch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't get halfway there before Kyoka's heart beat again, sending another wave of noise crashing into him like a wall of force. He struggled to take one step forward, then a second, then fell forward, bile falling from his mouth as liquid dripped down from his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka retracted her jack, limping towards Kirishima as he rolled onto his back, coughing, "Sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why- why didn't Hardening work?" Kirishima asked as Kyoka pulled out her capture tape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't harden your inner ear," Kyoka said, pointing to it, "did you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not sure I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Kirishima said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Izuku Midoriya has been eliminated</b>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka staggered as Kirishima jumped up, delivering an unhardened haymaker to her jaw. The other teen grinned at her even as he staggered, incapable of keeping himself straight and, "Looks like you're gonna lose, Jiro! Two on o-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS</b>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nnnnneeeh?" Kirishima said, turning and falling flat on his backside, "What, but-? Oh  crap, the bomb!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Looks like Midoriya was right," Kyoka said,  "it was best to let the timer run down."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---- X Momo X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo watched the four step into the room, eyes raking over Midoriya, who looked none the worse for wear for someone who had run themselves through and weaponized their own blood less than a handful of minutes before. In fact, he looked the least affected of any of the four, supporting Kirishima with one of the taller boy's arms around his shoulders, while Jiro used Midoriya's bladed cane to help move and Kendo sucked down air. In comparison Midoriya's face was pulled into a look of irritation as he pulled down his top hat, nearly glowing orange eyes glaring out of them as specks of green appeared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he irritated by the light? Was that what he meant by the top hat being for keeping things from his eyes?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>If you need a visit to Recovery Girl</b>
  <span>" All Might said, looking at Jiro, Kirishima and Midoriya, "</span>
  <b>lay down on a stretcher so the robots can escort you</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine," Jiro said, sinking into a chair and throwing the cane at Midoriya, who caught it without looking towards her and plunged it downwards, letting it fade into the mist of his Quirk, "Thanks, Midoriya. I think I just bruised the bone, if it's not any better before class ends, I'll go to Recovery Girl."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Might nodded, gesturing for the two boys to lie down, Midoriya helped Kirishima onto his stretcher before pointedly walking past his own to sit next to Jiro, "</span>
  <b>Midoriya-</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine," Midoriya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>You impaled yourself</b>
  <span>," All Might said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My Quirk lets me recover from it," Midoriya said, pulling open the hole in his shirt to reveal unmarred flesh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What doesn't your Quirk let you do?" Jiro deadpanned, counting on her fingers, "because so far we've got teleportation, seeing invisible people, pocket dimensions and now super healing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stuff," Midoriya deadpanned right back, drawing a smile from Jiro, "I'm fine, All Might. Really, I am."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...</span>
  <b>Fine, but I will be talking to Aizawa about this</b>
  <span>," All Might said, before turning to the others, "</span>
  <b>Now, first thing first, you need to pick out an MPV for this round</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya," Momo said immediately, before elaborating, "he put together a plan to hinder the other team, then implemented it well enough that even when he was forced into a confrontation, Jiro was capable of taking out Kirishima."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Kaminari said, "but he was eliminated by Kendo…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only because she exploited the rules of the trial to her advantage," Ojiro said, "Look at Midoriya, he isn't tired. If she had wrapped the tape around him in a real fight, he would have taken it off and continued on. Even the blows she landed ended up being pointless because he healed from them, there's no bruising around where she headbutted him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I agree with Momo and Ojiro," Kendo said, "Midoriya-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-Shouldn't be MVP," Midoriya said, taking off his top hat and plopping it onto his knee, eyes now far more emerald then golden, "I wasn't taking things seriously. I don't deserve to be MVP."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence stretched the the wake of that declaration, and then Kendo asked, "Then then what would you have done if you were taking it seriously?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Drawn Evelyn, not yelled when I had the advantage of the dark, gone for the throat," Midoriya recited, "resorted to enhancing Rakuyo or the Chikage from out of the gate. I wasn't taking things seriously enough. Kendo should be MVP, she took everything seriously from the first moment and took me by surprise because I was underestimating her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone stared at Midoriya, and Momo couldn't help but wonder what was with the tired look in his eyes. All Might coughed into his hand, "</span>
  <b>You're underplaying yourself, Young Midoriya. Part of being a hero is knowing when to not go all out. If you had as many ways to get serious as you say, then you were holding back to the bare minimum you needed, but if you insist-</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I do," Midoriya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>-Then, Young Kendo will be MVP</b>
  <span>," All Might said with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Toshinori had been frowning after Midoriya's last bit of logic, he was full on scowling now. Midoriya was… he was a strange one, that was undeniable. There was a cold pragmatism in what he did, and even everything he had listed boiled down to pragmatism. He assumed Evelyn was the gun he had held but not fired, clearly well crafted, taken care of, and even given a name. If he had been silent and gone for the throat, he'd likely have severely injured Kendo, if not killed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then there was him using his blood as a weapon. He was far from the only hero to do it, Vlad King immediately sprang to mind, if only because they were now colleagues, but they normally used some form of support gear to draw it out with minimal pain. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Running himself through</span>
  </em>
  <span> to implement it was…worrying, to say the least, even if he could heal, he had to still feel the pain if Kendo had managed to stagger him with a headbutt. He'd have to talk to Aizawa and Kan about it, as both of them would probably know more about this than him, but that type of pain tolerance in someone so young couldn't be healthy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Let's move on to the next match</b>
  <span>," Toshinori said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko silently wrung her hands as she sat at the computer, waiting for the call to connect. Finally it did, Hisashi appearing on the screen. He had deeper bags under his eyes then the last time she had seen him, and far more grey laced through his curly black hair. Immediately, she asked, "Are you alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Eh?" Hisashi blinked, "Oh, yes! Yes, I'm fine. We're just trying to solve a slight problem, some of the designs Detnerat was working on went missing. We think there might be a leak, how have you been? And I'm sorry I couldn't talk sooner, it's just… this is rather important, you know how it is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Inko said softly. Hisashi had prioritized his job at Detnerat for much of the last decade and a half, and she did her best to not hold that against him, normally. Now wasn't one of those times, "The job's more important."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hisashi, to his credit, had the decency to wince as the barb, rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry, sorry. What did you need to talk about, Inko?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Izuku manifested a Quirk," Inko told him, "about ten months ago."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What? But I thought he had-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The extra joint?" Inko said, "apparently there's about a ten percent chance for a false positive using that method. I guess Dr. Tsubasa didn't want to give him hope when it's only one in ten people-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But," Hisashi said, eyes lighting up, "That's still great! Izuku must be so happy, you remember how devastated he was when we got the diagnosis! Does he take after you or me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's, that's where things get complicated," Inko said, clenching her hands and fighting tears she knew were going to come out over the course of the conversation, 'Something… something's wrong with him now, Ashi."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hisashi blinked, lowering his hand, "What do you mean?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He comes home from school and goes straight to bed," Inko started, "most days he doesn't get up for dinner unless I make katsudon, and even that's a hit or miss. He's more guarded, and… and… and the day his Quirk unlocked, he woke up missing an arm."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's," Inko's voice cracked, "it's his left one, from above the elbow down. He doesn't talk about it, even if I try to bring it up… he- he changes the subject immediately."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll pull some strings," Hisashi said, "get a prosthetic sent-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He already has one," Inko said, "but I don't know where he got it. His Quirk has something to do with a pocket dimension, so maybe there, but… it looks like a doll's arm and- and-" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Inko," Hisashi said, "you don't need to hold back for me. Let go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sobs began to wrack Inko's body, "I'm worried about him, Ashi. He got into UA, and-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He did?" Hisashi's eyes lit up again, "perfect!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"UA has some of the best mental health services in the country," Hisashi said, "I'll.. I'll try to take time off the fly back, but even if I can't make it, set up a meeting to talk to them about this. They'll help."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… are you sure you want this to be-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If there's one thing I learned over here," Hisashi said, "it's that there isn't weakness in asking for help for these things. If something about Izuku's Quirk traumatized him, then we should get him the help he needs."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Inko said, giving him a watery smile, "then I'll let you get some sleep and go do that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure?" Hisashi said, "I can stay up, if you need to talk."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'd- yes please," Inko said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ran Isshin through his hair with a sigh as class ended, closing his eyes. He wanted to go home, collapse into bed and continue working on the Workshop while the Doll worked on his coat, maybe jaunt into Yharnam to look for survivors if he ran out of supplies. Same as most days, but part of a peaceful routine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it wasn't what she wanted, and that meant Izuku was going to have to try and figure out how to do this. Social interaction didn't come easily, ten years of bullying for being Quirkless compounded with almost a year of Yharnam and the Dream into a socially awkward mess.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who did he really know in this class? There was Jiro, Kacchan and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that was it. He'd talked to Hagakure a couple of times but otherwise…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Izuku said, walking towards where Jiro was, ironically talking to the invisible girl, "You want to hang out of a bit?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jiro and Hagakure turned towards him, the purple haired girl blinking at him, "You alright, Midoriya? You look like someone kicked a dog in front of you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku hid the desire to point out that dogs and him </span>
  <em>
    <span>did not </span>
  </em>
  <span>get along, and that he had kicked his fair share away from him in Yharnam before they mauled his legs and ripped out his throat. Drowning in your own blood wasn't any better the twentieth time than the first, and the Yharnam dogs were pack hunters, "Just a bit unhappy to be doing this. I'd normally be hanging out with a friend who doesn't go to UA, but she insisted I try to get to know my classmates instead."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pink skinned girl face split into a catlike grin, as she passed, "Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>She</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Do you have a girlfriend~, Midori?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku felt several pairs of eyes lock onto him, "No."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Wow," she said, "I was expecting you to get at least a bit flustered."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My relationship with her is too important to muddy with things like that," Izuku said, leaning back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But you like her," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love her, yes," Izuku said with a sigh, causing the pink skinned girl to squeal and dance in place, "not like that. She's important to me, I'm not going to ruin our relationship by making it needlessly complicated."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But, what iif-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Izuku cut her off, "even if she does, it's still needlessly complicated. We're happy the way we are, it's calm and peaceful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're no fun," the pink girl huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you barged into my conversation," Izuku shot back, before focusing on Jiro and Hagakure, "So, want to hang out? You're invited too, Hagakure, if you want to come.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"…Sure," Jiro said, "I've got nothing better to do."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll come too!" Hagakure said, raising her hand, "...Where are we going?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have no idea," Izuku said, "You two chose. I'm not normally one for going out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
  <b>X The Next Day X Izuku X---</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched Aizawa climb into his sleeping bag. He should have bought one of those at the mall, let the Little Ones hold on to it until he needed it. At least he knew what he was doing after school today, "You need to pick a class rep before homeroom ends. I don't care how you do it, just don't wake me up. Midoriya, I hope you're not planning to sleep through it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, that was hypocritical of him, "I don't want to be rep, why shouldn't I?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Fair enough," Aizawa said, before muttering as he tipped over, "It's weird to see this from the outside…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really, Midori?" The pink haired girl from yesterday, Ashido, said, "You don't want to be class rep? It'll make it easier for you to get scouted!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Exactly," Izuku said, "My methods work best if people don't know what I can do, so I want to be out of the limelight as much as possible. If you chose me, you're wasting your time, because I'll just give it to someone else."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Man," Kaminari said, "You must be fun at parties."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't know," Izuku said, "I was never invited to one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Wow, you're a killjoy," Kaminari sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, right!?" Ashido said, "He's got some mutual pining thing going on and won't even consider making a mo-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't," Izuku growled, "bringing that up." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone fell silent, staring at Izuku before Kacchan scoffed, "Who'd be interested in a loser like you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku didn't dignify that with a response, waving his hand and leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes to enter the Hunter's Dream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Itsuka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Itsuka watched Midoriya slip from conscious to </span>
  <em>
    <span>un</span>
  </em>
  <span>conscious in about the span of a second, his breathing leveling out. Was that another thing to do with his Qui-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'The Dream'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Borderline narcolepsy…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was Midoriya more interested in hiding in a pocket </span>
  <em>
    <span>dimension </span>
  </em>
  <span>then interacting with them!? That was… rude.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jiro evidently agreed with her, as she jabbed him in the side with a jack. Or tried to at least, Midoriya caught it up without opening his eyes, before doing so and glaring at her, "Do you have something against me sleeping?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your friend said she wanted you to interact with us more often?" Jiro said, "What's her name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She doesn't use one," Midoriya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Doesn't use one?" Jiro said, "What kind of person doesn't use a name?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Her," Midoriya grumbled, "That's the way she is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're going to have to introduce us to her at some point," Jiro said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya's face fell, "I'd like to, trust me, but I don't know when."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Toru </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru watched Midoriya's face sink as he said that, eyes falling and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me!" Iida said, hand snapping up to grab everyone's attention, "We still must pick a class representative! I think, for maximum ease and order, we should each cast an anonymous vote so that we can quickly and easily complete this with the time we have left in homeroom! Whoever has the most votes becomes the representative, and whoever has the second will be vice rep. It's the most logical way-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He realized everyone knew he wanted them to vote for him, right? It wasn't like it was being very subtle ab-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru blinked as Midoriya's finger quietly bobbed between Kendo and Yaoyorozu, him mouthing something. Finally, the mouthing and the finger stopped, and he wrote a name on a piece of paper before folding it and throwing it at Iida, who caught it with an open mouth, "That's my vote."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru giggled lightly, sharing a look with Jiro as Midoriya quietly settled into his seat, but didn't fall back asleep. Tapping a finger on the side of the desk, Jiro's jack slid over to her, "You saw that, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>that he played doreni shiyoukana for his vote</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Jiro held up a card after a moment of writing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah!" Toru nodded, "He's a bit of a dork."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>makes me wonder why he acts the way he does sometimes</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same," Toru said, "What type of person doesn't have a name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>sounds like a pro hero or a criminal of some sort.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Toru said with a nod, "seriously. We… uh, we should probably vote. Who are you going with?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>yaomomo</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jiro said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and do you mind helping me drag midorya to lunch? I don't think he's eaten at school since the year started.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So for the past two days?" Toru joked, "Sure, I'll help."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>cool</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Results </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Class 1-A Reps:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yaoyorozu Momo: five votes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kendo Itsuka: three votes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sat at the table with a sigh, crossing his arms and wishing he could go to the Dream already. He didn't want to be sitting here, but-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Holy crap, that was Lunch Rush!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's eyes widened as he watched several clones of the famous chef walk around the cafeteria, jotting down orders as more carried food to tables and there was a clatter of knives and hissing of heated metal from the kitchen. One of the clones stopped in front of them, holding a pad of paper and jotting down orders from Jiro (a hamburger), Hagakure (chicken broth ramen with soy) and Ashido (Nattō) who invited herself to the table with the argument that she was friends with Hagakure, something Izuku doubted since he had barely seen them talk but also couldn't refute given his lack of interaction with the class. Finally, Lunch Rush turned to Izuku, who sighed and raised his head, "Can I get some katsudon?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lunch Rush jotted it down before giving a thumbs up and heading towards the kitchen. Izuku watched the Little Ones explore the room in invisible bursts of mist, some congregating around certain students while others just looked around the wide area and yet others played with various things that wouldn't be missed. They were adorable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Midoriya?" Hagakure said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mh?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You said you could see me, right? What do I look like?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You… don't know what you look like?" Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Hagakure shook her head, "My Quirk was activated when I was born, so…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh," Izuku said, scratching his head, "Well, you have black hair, dark brown eyes and really pale ski-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>WARNING</b>
  <span>! Izuku's eyes upward at the loud, deep drone and voice, </span>
  <b>A LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH IS NOW IN PROGRESS, PLEASE-</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wha- what the hell?" Jiro asked, clutching her ears as the loud noise continued. Izuku climbed on top of the table as people began to rush out of the building in a complete mess, pulling all three girls up with him so they weren't bowled over, "Why're t-they-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yaoyorozu!" Izuku snapped as he caught sight of the raven haired teen, flanked by several messagers, "Throw me a pair of mufflers!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What-?" Yaoyorozu locked on Jiro, a pair immediately appearing from her thigh and being thrown to Izuku, who quickly slid them over Jiro's ears as Yaoyorozu fought her way to the top of the table with them, "Why are people acting like this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"General Studies, Business and Support students, probably," Izuku said, nodding to several groups of older students that were either also standing on tables, or were just keeping the rush from overwhelming them, "Those must be the Heroics Department students."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What caused a level three?" Yaoyorozu asked, "That's a break in, who would be so bold-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's eyes were drawn to the windows by a pair of Messenger, and he caught the monocular, placing it to his eye, "Are those… what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Yaoyorozu asked, and Izuku offered her the monocular and pointed towards them, "the news crews got on campus?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bloody vultures, "Anything you can do?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Yaoyorozu unbuttoned her shirt, pulling out a megaphone and handing back the monocular, turning it on “</span>
  <b>Everyone please remain calm! There isn't  a villain attack! It's just some news crews!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Medical Record</b>
  <span> X ---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Name: Midoriya Izuku.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blood Type: Quirk Morphic. Tests from before activation were O.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Medical Report: Left arm missing from below the elbow, further, the scarring in the remaining tissue seems to imply it was done by physically twisting the flesh and bone from its place by a superior force rather than a sharp implement. Aforementioned trauma also implies the goal was to remove the limb at the shoulder, as there is similar scaring there. Though obviously lesser in nature and unsuccessful, I'm legitimately surprised he appears to be capable of a full range of movement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Drawn sample if blood is several shades lighter than it should be, appearing a light red approaching pink, but does not seem to hinder circulation, with confirmed Quirk Factor, average iron and oxygen levels. Self inflicted stab wounds reported by Kan Sekijiro (Vlad King), Aizawa Shouta (Eraserhead) and Kayama Nemuri (Midnight) appear to have completely healed in the last weak, leaving no scar*.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Conclusion: Midoriya should be fine for admittance to UA, as he already has a prosthetic he shows adept range of movement with. Suggestion to assign him to Detnerat so if he wishes to upgrade the prosthetic at some point, it will be easier to support.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuzenji Chiyo.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>*Off the record, Nezu, that alone worries me. If he recovered from a stab wound as bad as reported, the amount of trauma to leave the scarring on his arm would have to be truly astronomical.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>---X The Next Day, Unforseen Simulation Joint, Mark 60-seconds to first contact between League of Villains and UA Class 1-A --- X Izuku Midoriya X---</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's hair stood on end, mist exploding into existence below his feet as Aizawa looked over at him, "what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Something's not right," Izuku muttered, eyes twisting and blinking as he grabbed the first weapon he could. The Burial Blade sat in his hand, the hilt sliding onto his back, "Everyone get ready!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya," Space Hero: Thirteen started, "I can assure you-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's right," Aizawa said, sliding on a pair of yellow goggles as a black mist appeared in front of the fountain at the heart of the USJ, "Good senses, Midoriya. Kaminari, try to contact the main school!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is this some sort of surprise test?" Kirishima asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Izuku said, throwing off his bandana as he shifted the Burial Blade into a scythe and activated Quickening, "They're actual villains…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midor-!" Before Aizawa could finish, Izuku lunged down the stairs in an explosion of mist, appearing between three villains and cutting them down, blood dripping from the Burial Blade. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you expect me to stay behind," Izuku said, stepped over the decapitated bodies, "I can't, sensei. This is what the Hunter's helper should be for…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aizawa landed a second later, a sharp frown on his face, "We're having a discussion about this after."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And when the class walks away unharmed," Izuku said, "I'll happily do so."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sensei!" Kaminari called, "I can't get through-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kurogiri," the blue haired man wearing a bunch of hands said, "Split up the others. You all, deal with these two."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll take the right half," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There are more on that half," Aizawa said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Exactly," Izuku said, eyes sharpening, "I've got more tricks for dealing with groups."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>AN </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Today on the “Aizawa's point of view is going to be silent, seething anger fic". Also, you see a lot of fics where Izuku doesn't give up the position of Class Rep, or get's it and hands it off to Iida as in canon. I thought I'd shake things up and have him just not get it to begin with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Today on the "Aizawa's point of view is going to be silent, seething anger fic". Also, you see a lot of fics where Izuku doesn't give up the position of Class Rep, or get's it and hands it off to Iida as in canon. I thought I'd shake things up and have him just not get it to begin with.</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ochako couldn't help but silently jump in place as Thirteen, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thirteen</span>
  </em>
  <span> talked to them, "Your Quirks can be used to hurt, but today, you'll be learning how to use them to sa-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya suddenly tensed, jaw jumping as he grabbed the curved sword from the mist, exposed eye jumping erratically. And for a moment, as he shouldered his way to the front of the class, his short frame seemed to tower over even Shoji, "Something's not right… Everyone get ready!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What? What did that mean? They were-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya," Thirteen started, "I can assure you-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's right," Aizawa said, stepping even with Midoriya and preparing himself as black smoke billowed out from the fountain. A couple dozen men and women stepped out of it, the two who stood out were a hulking man with the beak of a bird and an exposed brain and a young man wearing plaster  hands across his body, "Good senses, Midoriya. Kaminari, try to contact the main school!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is this some kind of surprise test?" Kaminari asked, but reached up for the radio at his ear even as he spoke. Midoriya slammed the end of his sword to the folding part, turning it into a scythe and removed the bandana from around his eye, revealing the sharp orange.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, lowering himself, "They're actual villains…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mido-!" Midoriya took off suddenly, vanishing and appearing in between three of the villains. The scythe flashed in a massive twirl… and three heads fell separate from their bodies, blood splattering across Midoriya's face as they collapsed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ochako's stomach feel as she stared at Midoriya, who didn't even flinch as he stepped over the bodies. He had just… just.. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh my god," Momo breathed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fuck," Jiro said, her normally half lidded eyes wide as blood pooled on the USJ floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck?" Bakugo snapped ,"Why would De- would Izu- he's not a fucking killer!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya had a brief discussion with Aizawa, who looked like someone had fed him a lemon, before the warp villain, a mass of shadows and smoke, launched over their heads. Midoriya drew his gun firing at the villain and dodging as the villain redirected the bullet, switching to his sword as another villain charged and impaling them through the chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A strange boy to be a hero," the deep voice of the warp villain rumbled, "-but it matters not, prepare yourself, heroes. Accept your death as my colleagues slaughter you to the last to draw out All Might!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stay back!" Thirteen called as darkness began to wrap around them, dragging Ochako into the smoke as she grabbed the nearest pair of hands. Then, she was plummeting towards a ship with Jiro and Yaoyorozu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta frowned as he wrapped his capture weapon around an four armed villain, tossing him into the water of the shipwreck zone back first with a loud splash. He didn't get back up, bobbing in the water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What the absolute hell was up with Midoriya? Someone didn't just default to killing like that normally without there being something wrong… but he was clearly </span>
  <em>
    <span>trained</span>
  </em>
  <span> (and if there was anyone on this earth that could tell the difference, if was Aizawa Shouta, inventor of Binding Cloth Style). That implied his teacher hadn't bothered to train him to fight nonlethally. Had he been taught by a villain? A vigilante? Maybe one of the darker Underground Heroes, but even they probably would have at least tried to teach him something other than death. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made Shouta glad Midoriya had entered UA. Hound Dog could help deprogram whatever mentality the problem child's 'teacher' had ingrained, Snipe and him could use Ectoplasm's clones to teach him how not to kill. Because right now, while there was no denying that he was good, but he was good in all the ways that they didn't want a student to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nomu," the blue haired leader ordered, "bring the kid to me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya dodged in the blink of an eye, a black hand where his head had been as mist rose off him. That was another thing, Shouta had tried to use his Quirk on Midoriya when it became clear the boy was planning to engage. He had tried and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn't worked</span>
  </em>
  <span>, implying it wasn't an emitter or transformation Quirk. Was Midoriya perpetually between the real world and his pocket dimension?  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His capture weapon wrapped around the bulging muscles, only for Nomu to yank his way out of it without slowing in another attempt to grab Midoriya, who ducked and replaced the scythe wirh is katana/longsword, "I'll be fine, Sensei deal with the others.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damn brat… if he died on him, Shouta wasn't going to forgive him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Itsuka X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Itsuka went to punch a villain… only for Bakugo to blow them away in an explosion, sweat pouring down his… everything as he growled, eyes sharp, "They don't know our powers."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How can you tell?" Tokoyami asked, "They… they seem to be ready to counter my Quirk."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And they sent the guy who sweats explosives to the hottest area!" Bakugo snapped, blasting another villain down, "What type of moron does that? Why not send me to the downpour zone, or the- DROP DEAD!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Four villains flew back, smashing into walls and crumpling against them like puppets with their strings cut. Bakugo growled, storming towards the way out even as several more villains rushed towards them, Itsuka jogged up to him, "What's-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not Now," Bakugo snarled, eyes flashing red, "I need to get to Izuku."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya?" Itsuka said, "Wh-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So I can find out what the FUCK happened to him!" Bakugo punctuated that by blasting the villains out of the way,  "Me and that… that ner… Me and Izuku grew up together, alright? And, I didn't treat him as well as I probably should have, because he was Quirkless. I need to know, to make sure he didn't end up that way because of what I d… he killed three people, maybe more by now! Why? Izuku wouldn't have… he'd never kill someone, he wanted to be like All Might, not… not like that…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You shouldn't let your guard-" a villain jumped from the side, only for Bakugo to catch him by the throat and reel back with his other hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you shouldn't give away your position during a sneak attack, you damn moron!" Bakugo sent him flying, before turning back to Itsuka, "I… I should've realized something was up after his fight with you. Everything he mentioned towards taking things seriously, it was killing. Shooting you, going for the throat. He was saying that if he wanted to take things seriously, he woulda tried to kill you. And now he's taking things seriously and he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>killing</span>
  </em>
  <span> people. I need to stop him before he gets his ass thrown into prison, alright, Big Hands?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Itsuka touched her neck, before nodding, "Alright. Let's go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're coming with?" Bakugo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"None of us said anything after the match," Itsuka said, "We need to help him now, because we could have tried to help him then and we didn't. Saving people is what heroes do, and it's why we're here, and sometimes that means saving someone from themselves. Let's go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bakugo's eyes softened for the first time in the week Itsuka had known him, and he nodded gruffly, "Alright, let's go save the damn nerd already."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Momo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo watching the villains swimming in the massive lake, biting her lip and pacing as she stood over Jiro and Uraraka, the purple haired teen wrapping bandages around Uraraka's side, where she had been bitten by a shark-Quirked man. How were they supposed to get out of this alive? They couldn't swim, a boat would be too slow to escape the others </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's alright," Jiro said, standing from her spot next to Uraraka, "Or stable, at least. Now we just need to figure out how to get off this without dying."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo nodded, gripping the shotgun she had used to blast the shark off Uraraka. He had been overconfident to jump up here, and the beanbag round would hopefully keep him down for long enough for them to come up with an escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The problem was </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A grapple launcher? The amount of rope she would need to create to reach the top of the USJ would probably leave her out of lipids, so if she missed they were out of luck, plus trusting Uraraka to activate her quirk before they splattered across the ground wasn't something she exactly liked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe there was a way to contact UA without using electricity? A drone with a message? No, that might provoke the criminals into attacking the-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo's eyes landed on a mop of red and white hair by the shore, eyes sparking. That was it!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grabbing a round from her thigh, Momo loaded it into the shotgun and angled it straight up. Jiro covered her ears as Momo closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. A burst of fire flew from the gun, drawing nearly everyone's attention, "TODOROKI! Ice!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Todoroki didn't move for a second, before charging to  the lake and slamming a foot down on it, ice forming below his feet as he ran towards them. The blue haired ringleader pointed at him, the villain with an exposed brain turning away from Midoriya and towards Todoroki… and letting Midoriya suddenly impale it with a blade hidden up his left sleeve, his main sword punching through the throat. , "</span>
  <b>GO, TODOROKI! YOU! ARE! MY! PREY</b>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each howled word was accompanied by another stab from the wrist mounted blade, forcing the creature to stagger as the holes patched themselves up. A regenerator versus a regenerator… this was going to get bloody. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was proven correctly seconds later, when the villain punched Midoriya so hard that several cracks filled the air and blood flew from his mouth as he flew away from the villain. Seconds later, Midoriya gave a booming laugh, then he rushed at the villain, a trail of red following him visible from the boat. How… how was he even </span>
  <em>
    <span>moving</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya…" Jiro muttered, just loud enough for Momo to hear, "You really are a scary guy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku was fairly certain at least half of his ribs were dealing with compound fractures as the blood pooled from the side of his mouth, more sticking his black shirt to his chest and dripping from him. Burning pain wracked across his frame and he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> thirty seconds before he was going to have to pop a trio of blood vials. If it weren't for Great Lake and Lake dulling his sense of pain he'd probably be unconscious and if weren't for Clockwise Metamorphosis congealing his blood he'd probably be dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things literally couldn't have been more perfect if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>tried</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was about a minute away from being able to go all out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Evelyn barked, staggering the beast before he landed legs first on it, the Chikage stabbing into its chest as he it's side to hold himself to it. The beast twisted its head, before smashing him away. In mid-air, Izuku injected himself and felt his bones sink back into his flesh, the injuries healing up as he landed and charged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What!?" The ringleader said, "What kind of cheat-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku fired Evelyn at him, watching the black creature dive to take the shot, and let down the barrier between him and Isshin entirely as he moved forward to engage. Mist rising from his body while Izuku weaved around the first punch, the Chikage flashing up and taking the extended arm off at the shoulder. Seconds later, it regenerated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku hated regenerators.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sensei!" Izuku yelled, taking a slimy creature in his hand, "Get back!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wha-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just do it!" Izuku ordered, before beginning to recite, "Listen for the baneful chants. Weep with them as one in trance. Fix your ears to hear out call-!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Energy began to form around Izuku, coalescing into small orbs in the mist as the ringleader yelled, "Nomu, Kurogiri! Stop him and bring him here!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And weep with us!" Izuku finished, the spell exploding outward in a hail of eye sized stars… that were unfortunately swallowed by the warp gate. Izuku growled before the shadows receded, swinging the Chikage at Nomu and hissing as the beast shattered the blade with an uncontrolled punch. Right, there went plan A, time for plan B.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku let the hands wrap around his arms and shattered them, not even flinching as he was dragged towards the leader, blood streaming down from his arms. Ten seconds, that's all he needed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're a real pest," the ringleader said, scratching his neck, "You know that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you're insane," Izuku retorted, "if you're going to kill me already, do it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I will," four fingers landed on his face, "See, my Quirk is called 'Decay'. Anything I touch with all five fingers rots away to nothing. The lucky ones turn to dust, the unlucky ones have their skin slough off to nothing. Can you guess which one you'll be?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lucky," Izuku deadpanned. Wow, he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>hit the jackpot with this one, "Now do me a favor and just do it already."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," the fifth finger fell… and nothing happened, "You're really annoying, Eraserhead, but you can't keep this up for much longer, can you? Just a few more seconds, and it'll all be for nothing. Any lost words, brat?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Check," Izuku said, glancing over at Aizawa, noticing his scarf wrapped around Toru, who was watching on in horror, struggling against it. Izuku offered her a small smile before Aizawa's hair fell. Pain began to spread from the points where the leader was touching them, more and more blood pouring down his face as dozens of eyes locked on his killer and a slightly mad grin split his face before the muscles to keep that up were turned to goo too, eyes rupturing across him brain and Izuku Midoriya expired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seconds later, he opened his eyes up in the Hunter's Dream, the Doll looking at him as Izuku laughed, throwing back his head before grabbing the Rakuyo and stabbing it deep into his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Ejiro </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ejiro delivered an uppercut to the villain sending him crumbling down the slope before he crashed into a tilted building, where they crumpled, unmoving. Next to him, Kaminari and Sato were fighting more. How many villains were </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And how much longer did they have before their powers gave out? Ejiro could already feel his arms shaking and softening, while Kaminari was struggling with blood down his nose and Sato was staggered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A horrified shriek split the USJ, drawing attention to the center. Ejiro shared a worried look with Kaminari and Sato before smashing the nearest villain into the cliff and charging down the cliff, smashing their way down the landslide zone and rushing towards the center of the USJ. What they saw stopped them in their tracks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pile of red stained clothes lay in a pile of rotten meat and blood, a familiar tophat sitting on top of it. Ejiro stopped, stomach sinking as another villain charged at him. He didn't know what to think about Midoriya, he was quiet, gruff, even, and he had killed four villains quickly without flinching. But he had engaged those villains in an attempt to keep 1-A safe, and the amount of blood, the way his flesh was twisted and his bones sticking out of the skin, yellowing rapidly. That death hadn't been quick, and it couldn't have been painless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if there was one sure Ejiro had been sure about, it was that Midoriya hadn't deserved that. Hardening activated again, and he charged the nearest villain, punching them in the throat as hard as he could with a roar of rage. From another location, a similar roar came, and several villains were sent flying in an explosion as Bakugo fell upon them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Shouta </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second the fifth finger fell, Shouta pulled on his capture weapon, grabbing Hagakure by the back of the head and burying her face in his chest. She didn't need to see this, not so early into her career and preferably ever. Midoriya's skin began to slide off his body, followed by the muscle underneath. Shouta activated his quirk, delaying the inevitable for as long as possible before he was forced to blink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The was arguably worse, because Oboro came to the front of his mind unbidden, first as he had been in life, grinning, wearing a blue gi with a bo staff across his shoulders, a bandage across his nose and his blue hair billowing through the top of his hat like the clouds that made up his Quirk. Then as he had been in death, the upper part of his head crushed by falling stone and pouring into his blankly staring blue eyes and staining his gi red.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Weak. Slow. Why was he too weak when it mattered? When lives were on the line?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Opening his eyes, Shouta knew he would be wasting his time to activate his Quirk. Midoriya's upper face was almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the bone underneath cracking and shattering. Despite that, a devil may care grin remained on the half of the face still visible before that fell off too. Nomu let go of Midoriya, letting him collapse in a pile as his hat sat on the rotten sludge that had been his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta pulled out his phone, gently pushing it into Hagakure's hands as he released her from his capture weapon, "Don't look. Do you understand me? You don't want to see it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hagakure nodded weakly against his chest, and Shouta glanced up at Shoji, who nodded, "Ok…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shoji's gonna get you out here," Shouta said as students began to converge on the area. Bakugo released a roar of anger as his eyes landed on the pile that had once been Midoriya, detonating his hands at two villains. Kirishima punched another in the throat, "The minute you can, make a call to UA, tell them to get every hero here because there's been an attack and… and that we lost a student."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hagakure stifled a sob at that, before running up and taking Shoji's offered hand. Shouta locked eyes on the black mist lashing towards her, activating Erasure and forcing him into a mostly humanoid form because throwing his capture weapon at the armor around the neck and yanking him down. Stepping forward, the Pro Hero Eraserhead growled, his capture weapon writhing around him, "Your fight is with me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Toru </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru followed Shoji towards the doors to the USJ, trying to avoid looking back and seeing Midoriya- Izuku's-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last hour had been a rollercoaster for her feelings about the green haired boy. She had started off bemused as he slept through the trip to the USJ, which had given way to horror ss he killed four members of the group attacking them, and now… now…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A weak, ragged sob tore its way out of her throat as she passed by Iida tending to the torn up back of Thirteen. Meanwhile Sero stood next to Mina at the top of the stairs, the grin normally on the black haired boy's face gone, "hate to be 'that guy', but we got incoming!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Buy us a couple of minutes," Shoji said, "I don't know how long this will take, but we gotta get a message out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I know," Sero said, nodding to Mina, "Ready?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As I'll ever be," Mina said, acid dripping down her hand, "You know, this really wasn't what I was expecting for our first field trip."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How were they staying so calm? One of their classmates had just killed and </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span> in front of them! How-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was when she noticed the tear tracks on Mina's face, the shaking of Shoji's hands as he reached for the door and that Sero's grin was shrinking by the second. Finally, the Tape user spoke up, "Can I be honest with you guys?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course," Iida said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know it's probably not heroic," Sero said, "but I can't wait to beat these bastards up," The words hung in the air like a weight, the smile a full frown now, "like, I'm not gonna go and say I was close to Midoriya, I haven't spoke to the guy once… but he was a classmate. And he realized they were coming before anyone else, so if he thought they were here to kill us, I'm bet he was right. I don't agree with what he did but… he didn't deserve that. So let's make them pay, for Midoriya."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For Midori," Mina agreed quietly, "Toru, go get help. We'll deal with these guys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Katsuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki blasted through the horde of mooks, teeth bared as he zoned in on the dead man </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> walking who had killed Izuku. Had </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed his childhood friend </span>
  </em>
  <span>and god be fucking damned if he didn't return the damn favor!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You!" Katsuki roared, swinging for the blue haired man and growling as the bird villain jumped between them and took the explosion without flinching, "Out of my way!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How would Auntie Inko react, when they brought her Izuku's body, broken and twisted and only identifiable as his by the clothes it was wearing? Would she break down? Fall into a depression?  Refuse to believe it, even as they placed him in the cremation chamber?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or would there even be that, as the body of Izuku Midoriya continued to rot a handful of feet away from them? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Birdbrain pulled its hand back and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of a gun going off distracted it, a glowing red bullet throwing the villain away from Katsuki. Katsuki felt her jaw drop, sure almost everyone else's mouth did the same as the gun fell, disappearing into mist as the wielder walked over to the pile of rotting flesh and kicked it, pulling a doll's arm out of the left arm of the jacket and sliding it onto the stump where his left hand should have been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No way. No. Fucking. Way. He was dead, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>! His damn body was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That wasn't very nice," Midoriya Izuku deadpanned, kicking his own corpse and holding up the shattered remains of his sword, "but I do believe you killed my sword, which is better than most."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What kind of cheat code are you people using?" Hands growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Immortality," Izuku said, splitting his blood coated saber and dagger apart as all the blood that had come from his body rose and span around him before exploding, a blood red mist rising up from his body as he pointed the saber at Birdbrain, "Ready for round two?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nomu," Hands hissed, red eyes blazing, "I want him to die. </span>
  <em>
    <span>slowly</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Looking forward to it," Izuku said cheekily, like it was a joke only he understood,  "but he's gonna die eventually. Even if it takes me twenty attempts."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then both combatants launched forward faster than Katsuki could keep up with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka's ears twitched as she ran across the frozen lake, "Todoroki, left!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pillar of water exploded through the ice, six villains flying out and landing before Todoroki froze it. Momo shot one with her shotgun, sending him skidding across the ice. Kyoka lowered Uraraka onto the ice, staring down a woman holding a harpoon. Behind her, Todoroki and Momo prepared to fight. Well, it was official. Today absolutely and utterly </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucked</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the 'shoreline', Midoriya and the black villain appeared suddenly. Flames exploding in a cage of fire around the green haired boy, forcing his opponent away from him as he spat up a glob of blood. Kyoka's eyes were immediately drawn to Midoriya's lack of a shirt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or rather, his left side, where it became very clear why Midoriya had gone out of his way to avoid showing off the injury. The flesh above where his elbow should have been to his shoulder was gnarled, looking less like an arm with scarring and more like a mass of scarring that happened to have some small parts of a arm in it. The prosthetic she had heard about was a strange mixture of crude and elegant, crude because it wasn't particularly high tech, and elegant because despite that, its actual appearance was that of a doll's hand, each joint visible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka flinched as the harpoon villainess lunged forward, the barbed weapon tearing into her side, "You're pretty dumb to get distracted by your boyfriend."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you're pretty dumb for getting this close," Kyoka said, "Momo!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shotgun swiveled around, firing a bean bag round into the exposed head of the villain and watching her drop. Well, one down, five to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X AN X--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so ends the first half of the USJ. Everyone's got their opponent for the next half, and shit gets real. Also, if I had wanted Kurogiri to really be a dick, I could have made him direct the redirected ACB's at the other students.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile over on the Nagash front, arguing with myself on how much of a role I want Toga to play. She fits the vampire role pretty well, but it completely breaks the theme of Izuku's 'Mortarchs'.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guess who has two hands, cut himself working on his models and has to get a tetanus booster while mortality phobic of needles?!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku dodged around the punch from Nomu, the wind pressure hitting him like a blow from a sledgehammer. Which, due to the women of Hemwick, he knew quite well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Death by bludgeoning </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucked</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Using Rakuyo's dagger to stop his skid, Izuku prepared for Nomu to rush toward him, shifting his grip on the saber of Rakuyo. There was no time to think, to analyze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rakuyo flashed, raking through the flesh of Nomu's chest, but the hulking beast kept coming. The cauterized flesh struggling to heal, but healing nonetheless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku dodged the punch, and the hammer of wind that came after, and cleaved off the arm with both blades. Before he could follow up, the beast swung his other hand at Izuku's head, and Izuku was forced to give ground so it didn't decapitate him. Flesh began to crawl down from where Izuku had taken its arm, trying to heal the damage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like. I'd," Izuku growled, reeling back with the dagger of Rakuyo and throwing it into the Beast's left eye, charging at it as the flaming blade embedded itself in the eye and Izuku swung Rakuyo straight down. He hadn't ever used this move with Rakuyo, only the Chikage, hopefully it worked, "Let you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blade and flames scored black flesh, only for Izuku to be caught by the face and slammed into the ground. Grabbing the offered Evelyn, Izuku blasted the beast off him, jamming a blood vial into his side as the blood dripping from the back of his head staunched itself.  Izuku rushed forward, ripping the dagger from the eye as he span in place, facing down the beast as his feet touched the frozen edge of the lake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nomu charged forward, and Izuku swung both blades of Rakuyo in a net, his blood flying outward and igniting. Nomu skid backwards, dodging the attack by a hair's breath. Pain spiked along the point where Isshin and Izuku's flesh met, forcing the Good Hunter to pause and hiss a breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nearly his undoing, with Nomu immediately charging forward. Izuku dodged the best he could, feeling the wind buffet his chest and sending him flying halfway across the USJ, sliding next to Aizawa, "How are things going with you? Need a weapon?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better than with you," Aizawa said, slamming the warp gate villain into the ground with his scarf, "and this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> my weapon, Midoriya. I want an explanation of what the hell immortality means when we're done here. Now get back to fighting."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"With pleasure," Izuku said, rushing towards his prey and snapping both halves of Rakuyo together, firing Evelyn as the beast tried to punch him, knocking it on one knee. There they went!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flesh molded into a different shape as Izuku drove them into Nomu's chest, searching for the heart…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And getting hammered by the punch to the side of the head, sending him flying backwards as blood poured into his eye. Izuku popped another vial, dodging Nomu's renewed assault as he confirmed the arm had finished regrowing. Izuku splayed the fingers of Isshin, the red mist rising off it as the beast charged him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta used his capture weapon to pull Kurogiri into a lariat, the metal armor around the warp villain's throat protesting the blow from Eraserhead. Across the USJ, the tide was slowly but surely turning in the favor of his students. Confirming that most of these 'villains' were two bit thugs with little more training than the students. And two of the three who were real threats were being engaged by the strongest combatants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya and Nomu were an unending blur of motion, flames lighting the area around where they fought as Midoriya dodged each attack and then retaliated. Sword and gun burned through Nomu's skin, before a giant skull exploded from Midoriya's prosthetic as he slammed it into Nomu, a ghostly moan echoing across the USJ before it detonated in a burst of fire as Midoriya launched backwards. He split both blades as he slid across Todoroki's ice, before vanishing again as Nomu smashed into the ice, sending spiderweb cracks across it… and towards the group still trying to make their way across it, hampered by injuries. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, damn-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya appeared suddenly, grabbing Jiro and Uraraka and vanishing, "Run!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Todoroki and Yaoyorozu didn't hesitate, rushing across the cracking ice as Midoriya put the two girls down and… rang a little bell?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What. The. Hell?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Locking his eyes back on Kurogiri, Shouta activated his Quirk again, stopping the gate and forcing him halfway through his escape, essentially sending the warp villain sprawling before Shouta's weapon wrapped around, "Nice try. Isn't gonna be so easy, though. You're not escaping without this being gone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll see about that," Kurogiri said, yellow eyes staring into yellow goggles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku swung his gloved right hand at the beast, the coarse, stained gloves irritating his flesh. He really hoped his regular ones were still functional. He didn't doubt the Doll could repair them (she had done it before), but it was a hassle neither of them needed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ghostly skulls flew out of the glove, crashing into the beast and detonating. A spike of pain ran up from Isshin, and Izuku swung Rakuyo upwards, another cut of burning blood ripping into the black flesh as it struggled to repair itself. Good, it was starting to slow…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Izuku was starting to fe-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another spike of pain sprouted, and Izuku staggered, sucking in a breath between gritted teeth as he stared at the bared fist. Fu-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku barely brought Rakuyo down in time to force Isshin off before the beast's fist took off his head in one blow, stopping and staring up at Jiro as his vision was covered by mist, mouthing 'be right back'.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You might want to-" Izuku stopped as the Doll offered him a pair of pants without blinking as he body reformed below the decapitated head, pulling them on, "Thanks."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I assumed you would need them," the Doll said, "and have them ready. Best of luck, Good Hunter."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku smiled at her as the mist formed around his body, appearing over the disarming, glowing Isshin and snapping it into place, pain immediately spiking even as he grabbed Rakuyo with it and swung outwards, more blood exploding around them  and thrashing the beast around before throwing it backwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nomu!" The leader said, dodging around the explosions from Kacchan, "Go for the heart!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku dodged, the pressure of the fist pushing him back as he grabbed Evelyn and a blood vial from the Little Ones, healing the damage even as he fired at the leader, forcing Nomu to take the shot. That'd work….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Four specially prepped quicksilver bullets were offered as Izuku flicked open Evelyn, grinning at Nomu. It had a base thought process, and Izuku would use that to his advantage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Katsuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki blocked the hand with his left gauntlet, glad he had brought it as he reeled back with his right hand, liquid splashing across Hands, "DIE!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The nitroglycerin-like sweat went off, throwing Katsuki back and sending his arm screaming in pain, the glove and skin burning away as he sank to his knees, biting back the scream. Motherfucking, son of a bitch, fuckity, fuck, fuck, FUCK!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Stupid Hair slid next to him, before looking around, "Anyone got first aid training!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- I don't need-" Katsuki started, trying the clench the trembling, burning hand. Never do again, not with that much, even his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You…" Katsuki froze as Hands staggered out of the flames, Birdbrain behind him curled up and slowly healing, and grasped for the hand that had been one his face, which was crumbled behind him, "YOU!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A flaming bullet launched across the spot between Deku and Hands, Birdbrain diving between the bullets and staggering. With ease that shouldn't have been practiced but somehow fuckin' </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Deku danced bullets across his right hand, dropping a casing from his gun and slamming another into place. The next bullet was fired at Hands, and Birdbrain blocked it again. A third, then a fourth found their way into Birdbrain's skin before Deku charged forward, a glass vial rolling into his hand and flying towards the mutant, who still managed to dodge it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But not the follow up lance of flaming blood, which threw Birdbrain backwards… into Hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kirishima," Izuku said, "Kendo, get Kacchan up to the others. I'll keep them distracted."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"De- Deku!" Katsuki started, only to wince and recoil as moving his hand sent pain screaming through it, "What the fuck happened to you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...I had to grow up," Izuku said, "Get him out of here, Kirishima."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kirishima nodded, carrying Katsuki away as Birdbrain tried to hit Deku, who dodged the blow and blasted him with another skull of fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Hanta </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hanta waited for Mina to throw some weak acid in the villains eyes, before firing tape around them and sending them crashing into each other with a jerk of his elbows, and then off the side of the stairs they were guarding with a heavy thud, "Shoji!? How much longer!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just… another… couple… of… seconds!" The Heteromorphic teen gritted out, voice muffled as he used as many arms as he could to force the door open, "Why the hell are these things so difficult to open!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can help," Hanta whipped around, aiming one of his tape dispensers at Todoroki, who had come up the side of the entrance on a pillar of ice, Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Uraraka with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't do that, man!" Hanta complained, "I thought you were a villain for a second there!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, but we needed to get up here as quickly as possible. Midoriya did some preliminary first aid, but had to go back to fighting that monster before he could do more," Todoroki said, stepping even with Shoji and forcing a spike of ice between the doors. Shoji's arms stopped shaking quite as much, "Yaoyorozu, can you make-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Already on it!" Yaoyorozu threw a jack his way, which Todoroki caught with a blink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was going to suggest a crowbar, but this works-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better," Momo said, firing a round at one villain and letting him slide down the stairs into another group, "A crowbar would help if the door was closed, but with it already open, we need to focus on keeping open and opening it more."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right," Todoroki said, sliding the jack in place and cracking it until it was fully pressed against the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jiro!" Iida called, "Uraraka! Come over here and lie down so I can do first aid! We need to hold out until Hagakure gets support from UA, then Recovery Girl can heal any injuries!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So that's the plan?" Hanta turned, watching Kendo and Kirishima helping Bakugo up the stairs, Kendo batting the few villains that were left aside with her oversized hands and Bakugo continued to talk, "W-we just hold out and let Deku and Aizawa deal with the villains?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A ragged cough escaped Bakugo's throat as he was put down next to Thirteen, looking like he wanted to bat Iida away but didn't have the energy. Man, shit was fucked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where were the others?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya's… he didn't make it," Hanta said, ignoring renewed crying from Hagakure. He really couldn't blame he-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell him when he's done fighting," Bakugo growled, nodding down the steps, "Look."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hanta did so, jaw dropping. No way. He had been so focused on the villains that… "Hey, Hagakure! Get over here, Midoriya's fine!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He got d-decapitated in front of me and showed up a minute later," Jiro stuttered, "I don't know what's up with him, but…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"KICK HIS BUTT, IZUKU!" Hagakure called at the top of her lungs, gloves cupped around her mouth… at least, he assumed it was her mouth…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We got it open!" Shoji yelled, "Go, Hagakure!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yaoyorozu, you have first aid training, right?" Todoroki asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes. Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I'll take over guarding," Shoto said l, "You focus on patching up the injured. I don't have that training."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right!" Momo nodded, swapping places with Todoroki and beginning to work on Uraraka as Iida continued his work on Bakugo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was one advantage Izuku had over 'Nomu'... it was that it was one of the dumbest things he had ever fought. And considering his early career as a Hunter, that was saying something. But even those beasts had a… well, a bestial cunning. Pack tactics, playing dead, ambushes and more had been contributing factors to many of Izuku's early deaths in Yharnam.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In comparison, Nomu felt programmed. If Izuku attempted to injure the pale villain, Nomu would take the hit no matter what. It would abort attacks that should have been lethal to do that, even as its regeneration began to flag. Which was perfect for Izuku, made it easier to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's right arm suddenly plunged into a vortex of black mist, only giving him seconds to pull his hand out before the portal snapped shut, and only a hasty discarding of Rakuyo kept it from being taken off with the tips of the index, middle and ring fingers on his hand. Izuku grit his teeth and deployed Isshin's blade, "Sensei!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I blinked for a second!" Aizawa called, "I'm not sure how long I can keep this up for much longer, Midoriya!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it was time to go in for the kill. It had been a sporting hunt, but all of them had to come to an end. Izuku flicked out three knives, throwing them at the ringleader from Isshin as his maimed right hand fumbled with the Burial Blade. Launching forward as the daggers bounced off Nomu, Izuku activated each of the bullets he had struck Nomu with earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pale, misty flames exploded from within Nomu's body, forcing it down as Izuku appeared behind it, the Burial Blade drawn back, pain spiking down Isshin as flames ignited along the scythe blade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sensei!" Sero called, "Hagakure got out!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," the pale villain muttered, staggering and scratching his neck, "You-! You-! You cheating motherfu-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Burial Blade dropped, cleaving through Nomu's neck in one move. Black skin and red muscles gave a death spasm and Izuku slammed the haft of the Blade into the ground, staring down the villain as the warpgate suddenly appeared around him, "We must leave,  Tomura Shigaraki! The Heroes will be here soon!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They… they cheated, Kurogiri! Nomu was supposed to beat All Might, so how did a little brat take him down?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Regeneration doesn't do much against these," Izuku said, holding up a bullet, "Quicksilver mixed with Cainhurst mist and my blood. Cocktail that'll take down just ab-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pain spiked, sending Izuku staggering. Izuku grit his teeth, clutching Isshin. Seconds, that's all he needed…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fumbling for the bullet, Izuku loaded it and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Evelyn slid from limp fingers as the pain became too much, and Izuku fell face first into the mist, feeling the Little Ones catch him as his vision went black and he vanished into the Dream. Damnit, he had let too much in…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Doll </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doll looked up as a heavy thud came from inside the Workshop, the Little Ones that followed her dear friend gesturing frantically. Standing from her place in the garden, she moved at a clipped pace, stepping inside the Workshop to find Izuku sprawled out across the cot. Living porcelain tightening flush for a moment, before she looked to the nearest Little One, "Get me one of Izuku's knives, unpoisoned."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Little One vanished, reappearing less than a second later with the blade in question. Thick hilt but with a blade of merged obsidian and blood stone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good Hunter?" The Doll said, touching Izuku's shoulder, "can you hear me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Y-y-yeah," Izuku coughed, eye closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Isshin?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Very well," the Doll said, gripping the limb, "This won't be easy…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, I'm sorry," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wasn't talking about myself," the Doll said, yanking Isshin from its place. The limb itself gave way, but the flesh underneath was another matter entirely. Gangrenous skin writhed, attempting to slide into the areas not made of scar tissue. Before her eyes, one strand slid up his arm, tendrils of sinew stretching out like legs, finding holds and pulling further up, "Prepare yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku muttered, clenching his teeth, "just start whenever you are ready."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will," the Doll said, sliding the knife into the point where the flesh of Flora and Izuku merged, a scream of pain being choked back as the skin refused to give way easily, reattaching nearly as fast as the Doll could cut it away. One Little One wrapped a small hand around the slowly healing index finger of his right hand, "I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My fault," Izuku choked out as another scream of pain rose up, the skin freeing itself with a wet, disgusting snap, "I need to get rid of the flesh…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to give you a sedative," the Doll said, taking the bottle from the Little One, "Rest, and let me do my work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Ok," Izuku said, "Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I exist to help you," the Doll said, "Rest."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku stepped into the field of flowers, feeling the heat of the flames behind him as he approached Gehrman sitting in his wheelchair, "Sir."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Boy," Gehrman said, "You've done well. The night is near its end, and with it, the hunt. Now, I will show you the greatest mercy I can. Lower yourself, so I might take your head, and by doing so, free you from this horrible dream so you might awaken under the morning sun."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku worked his jaw for a moment, trying to find the right words as he stared into Gehrman's eyes, so sad, so tired. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So in need of rescue, even as he tried to save Izuku. Gritting his teeth and resolving himself, Izuku drew the Chikage, staring down Gehrman. The old man chuckled, standing from his chair, "Yes… yes, I suppose that makes sense. You're not the type to leave easily, my keen Hunter. I don't want to do this, I truly don't, but you leave me no choice. It always comes down to the Hunter's Helper to- no… that isn't right, too impersonal… It's the teacher's job to beat the stupidity out of their student's head."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wide step to the left, then he dashes in. Just like Maria…</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku swung the Chikage up, blocking the attack from the large, curved blade that rattled his frame, green eyes met dark ones. And then, as one, they kicked away from each other in a burst of mist.  Landing, two pistols snapped up and fired at each other, one of Workshop design, the other of Cainhurst. The bullets collided in midair as both combatants broke open their gun, the older meticulously pulling the casing from the gun while the other flipped the break action perpendicular to the ground, letting gravity do the work before sliding another bullet in place and finishing the spin, Evelyn locking in place. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku took a step to the right as Gehrman stepped to the left, before both dashed in, Izuku ducking under the curved blade as the Chikage found flesh. At the same time, he jammed the barrel into Gehrman's chest, pulling the trigger. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Even at point blank, the shot missed as Gehrman dodged in a burst of mist. Izuku span, using the Chikage to deflect the blow coming for his neck. Grabbing the sheath with his other hand, Izuku slammed it into Gehrman's neck…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Or he would have if Gehrman hadn't dodged backwards, slotting his sword into the haft on his back and transforming it into a scythe, pulling back and preparing for a strike. Izuku reloaded Evelyn again, firing as the attack came and sending Gehrman off balance. Lunging forward, Izuku's hand shifted into claws as he shoved them into the First Hunter's chest. Before he could rip them out, Gehrman leveled his own pistol at Izuku's head. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku flew back as the bullet hit, his blood rolling down into his right eye. Running his hand along the Chikage, Izuku swung it forward, an arc of blood aiming for Gehrman's neck, only for it to be dodged, the scythe blade finding purchase in Izuku's back, nearly severing his spine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect, "You're open!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Swinging up, Izuku took Gehrman's arm off, the scythe landing a small distance away. Gasped, Izuku jammed a blood vial into his side and staggered over to the scythe, picking it up as Gehrman sank to his knees, meeting Izuku's eyes, "The Night, and the Dream, will be long. This is your last chance, take it boy, for </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>me</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I am doing this for you," Izuku said, gently hooking the scythe around Gehrman's neck, "May you be free from this dream."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"And I hope you don't come to regret this," Gehrman said, "even though I know you will. Farewell, my Keen Hunter."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Farewell," Izuku said, pulling the blade back, "Sensei."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was the noise of metal cleaving through flesh, and the First Hunter fell and faded, leaving Izuku standing alone in the meadow, holding a bloodied scythe. Izuku turned towards the Workshop, now he just needed to figure out how to put that ou-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Heir. Moon</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku turned in time to see the Beast grabbing him, something pulsing deep within as the monster tried to burrow its face in his chest, sending it staggering back with a roar.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Corruption! Impurity!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku opened his mouth, and the noise that came out wasn't meant for a mortal tongue to say, but came easily as he stared down the beast, the scythe in one hand, the Chikage in the other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And with that, the downsides of Isshin as is stop being an informed attribute. Next chapter will see UA deal with the fallout while Izuku is under the knife.</p><p> </p><p>I always worry that fights like the one with Gehrman, which are supposed to be frantic and therefore short often come off as characters being too weak.</p><p> </p><p>Also, as a shameless plug, The Great Necromancer: Izuku! has officially come out</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, have an insomnia and anxiety ridden chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta watched Midoriya's scythe slid from a limp hand and he fell forward, firing his gun before he slammed into the mist and disappeared, the bullet glancing the side of the pale villain in a spray of blood as the gun slid away from him and towards Shouta. Shit…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kurogiri," the pale one said, "I'm going to… We're going to… we're leaving."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tomura Shigaraki?" The other said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nomu's down," Tomura spat, "I'm hurt, the mooks were useless. Even if All Might showed up right this second, we wouldn't have enough of the party left to beat him. Grab Nomu and the sword, we're leaving."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you are certain," Kurogiri said, portals opening below the body and Midoriya's dual bladed sword. Shouta considered activating his Quirk, but… ultimately, if they were leaving, it was more rational to let them leave so he could focus on keeping the kids safe. Deactivating Kurogiri's Quirk might force them into a position where they felt required to fight. It didn't leave a good taste in his mouth, but letting them escape was the safest option for his students at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Especially when Midoriya had just dropped. It wasn't worth the risks, at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta slid down as the doors busted open, a serious looking All Might raking his glowing blue eyes around the USJ, causing several villains to quail on the spot. In a flash, All Might tore his way down to Shouta, villains collapsing like puppets, "</span>
  <b>Are you all right?"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Shouta huffed, "You just missed the leaders, by the way. Go make sure everyone got out of each area, would you? I don't want to risk…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>They'll be safe</b>
  <span>," All Might said, "</span>
  <b>I am here now, and the others will be here shortly."</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good," Shouta said, "I'm going to rest my eyes. Using my Quirk as much as I did irritated them. If I actually do fall asleep, don't ask me how, but if I do… tell Power Loader to run some tests on the scythe and gun over there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>The Vil-? No, that's Midoriya's gun. Where is he</b>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pocket dimension," Shouta said, "he did some sort of super mode to help me, but it took its toll and he blacked out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, that was all he had done…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, Izuku said in a language he shouldn't have been able to speak, staring at the beast. It raised a clawed hand, and faster than any normal human could have reacted, swung for Izuku's neck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Unfortunately for it, Izuku was far from a normal human anymore. He dodged backwards, a ghostly skull hovering in place before Izuku snapped his fingers, detonating it. The Beast -no, the Great One- </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>roared</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>, slamming a hand down into the ground. Blades of red blood came flying for him, even as Izuku fished out a pill and wedged it between his teeth. Dodging, Izuku shattered the pill, swallowing the fragments and immediately feeling the change overtake him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fur began to sprout along his body as Izuku gave into the Beast Within, his fingers sharpening to claws and canines grew. Shifting, Izuku kicked off the ground and dove forward in a burst of mist, driving both clawed hands into the Great One before he used the unnatural strength to </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>throw </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>it across the meadow, </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Die!</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Great One got halfway across before it stopped itself, hovering and air and giving an all mighty roar </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Murderer! Usurper! Die!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku dodged the storm of blood blades that arced toward him, the ground where he had  been standing being torn to shreds. Bounding into the air, Izuku came down on the Great One like a meteor, slamming his right claw into its face and forcing it to the ground as he gave a guttural growl. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That, unfortunately, was a bad move on his part. The Great One lashed out, grabbing Izuku's left arm and, with an almost contemptuous flick of its wrist, twisted it like a bottle cap. Izuku's elbow shattered with an audible crack, but the Great One kept on turning until the arm finally came off in a shower of blood.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That gave him seconds at best to win this fight, blood pouring down from where his arm should have been. Gritting his teeth, Izuku threw himself back, flinging the pouring blood at the Great One as he went and watching it ignite like napalm.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku's arm twisted, sealing shut and stretching as he landed. Instincts roared for Izuku to jump, dodging the lunge from the burning Great One, the flesh of his leg molding into a replica of Gehrman's blade as the tendrils of his left hand grew and lashed down towards the Great One to bind it in place, which he used to real himself in and bring his leg down like a guillotine on the head, splitting it in two. The Great One collapsed, and Izuku staggered away as the Blood Echoes entered hi-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ascension</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku staggered, falling onto his knees and hand. Before his eyes, his skin began to change, his fingers losing their flesh and bones beginning to merge into sharp blades while his left arm's tentacles sprouted dozens of hooked barbs along their length.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>NO! NO. No! No.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku forced himself up with a roar, the Hunter rune blazing in his mind as he purged the Echoes from his body, grabbing and reabsorbing Gehrman's as he let the Great One's disparate and staggered towards the burning Workshop. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Little Ones," Izuku said, voice rough, and it dawned on him that he had been screaming his refusal, "Get me water, and a lot of it. We have a fire to put out."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Inko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko sat next to Mitsuki as they tore down the way towards UA, probably breaking the speed limit somewhere along the way, not that either of them cared, nor did the police that passed them on their way there, sirens blaring. Never before had she been so happy to live within driving distance of UA. She couldn't imagine how the people who lived too far to come and check on their children themselves felt when they got the call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko jerked forward as Mitsuki slammed on the breaks and stopped the car, throwing open the driver's side door and storming out, Inko quickly scrambled to her friend. Mitsuki shoved her way through the media and towards the gate of UA, which was… different from normal, a wall of grey blocking the entrance. Standing in front of it was a dreadlocked man wearing a gas mask and a cowboy mask, a red poncho over some body armor. Inko didn't recognize him, but Izuku would have.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku could recognize most heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whoa there," the man drawled, holding out his hand, "Can I get some names and IDs? You don't look like some of them," he nodded towards the reporters, "or a villain, but you gotta understand, after the couple of days we had, we really can't afford to take any risks."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You could have done that before this happened," Mitsuki hissed, but fished out her ID and shoved it into the man's hands, Inko handing it to him and wringing her hands. Two more people, a blonde man with lines around his eyes and a purple haired woman with strange jacks hanging from her ears, quickly joined them and handed their IDs to the man. He checked all four, before handing them back and putting his hand to his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Cementoss, open it up for a sec, we got four parents out here," The center of the cement wall   became liquid, rolling so there was an open hole. The man quickly waved them through, glaring past them at the crowd of reporters as they started to be waved through, putting on a more pronounced accent, "And y'all stay right there! We're already lookin' into pressin' accomplice charges on ya from usin' a villain to break onto the property yesterday. Don't make it worse for yourselves! Y'all will get your press conference when the Principal says you get one!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko rushed through the hole with the others, a tall grey man (at least she thought it was a man) who looked like a block of cement's hand glowed against the wall, and then the hole sealed shut. He lowered his hand, gesturing for them to continue on, "Midnight will be waiting for you at the door to guide you to 1-A's classroom. And," the man let go of the wall, descending into dogeza, "allow me to be the first of many to apologize for what happened today. As teachers, the wellbeing of our students is paramount to all other things. To just say we failed in that today is the greatest understatement I have ever given. Please, forgive us for this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll see after we see how our kids are," Mitsuki brushed him off, grabbing Inko by the bicep and dragging her along. Inko looked at Mitsuki. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That was rude," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not in the mood for asskissing at the minute, Inko," Mitsuki snapped as they approached Midnight, who gestured for the quartet to follow them. Which they did in near silence until they reached a large door. Mitsuki threw it open, "Brat!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is it, you ha-?" Katsuki stopped as Mitsuki wrapped an arm around him, hugging him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fuckin' hell, kid," Mitsuki said, quietly,  "I was scared out of my mind."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other couple pushed past Inko as they rushed to meet their daughter, hugging her. But Inko wasn't paying attention to that, eyes scanning across the room, she finally asked, voice weak, "Where's Izuku?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're his mother?" a scruffy looking man said from where he was seated on a chair against the wall. Inko nodded weakly, and he sighed, "Alright then, come with me. I was waiting for you. We… we need to talk about your son."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Shouta </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta watched Midoriya's mother step into the teacher's lounge, sitting down across from her with a sigh. He wished he could be asleep right now, he really did. But they needed to talk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm Aizawa Shouta," he said, "Izuku's homeroom teacher."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-I'm Midoriya Inko," she said, wringing her hands and looking around in worry, "is Izuku ok? He wasn't hurt, was he?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, he had been much more than hurt, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>apparently </span>
  </em>
  <span>that didn't matter. Still, "The short answer is that we don't know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Y-you don't know…?" Inko asked, "Why-? What-? Where's Izuku?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mido… Izuku," Shouta said, "retreated to the pocket dimension made by his Quirk towards the end of the Incident, he appeared to be exhausted immediately beforehand so we don't know his status, or when he'll return from it, or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>where</span>
  </em>
  <span> he'll return. We have a camera bot sitting in the USJ to inform us if Izuku returns there, but for now, we don't know anymore. I'm sorry, I know that's definitely not what you wanted to hear from me, but it's all I can give you for information on Izuku's wellbeing. Unfortunately, that's not why I called you here. I need to ask you some questions about Izuku. He acted… </span>
  <em>
    <span>unexpectedly</span>
  </em>
  <span> violent during the Incident, and was wondering if you knew anything about who trained him in combat?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Inko shook her head, "I- I didn't even know he had been getting training. Is Izuku in trouble?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That right there was the million yen question. What to do about Midoriya Izuku now? He was… he wasn't normal, and they didn't know anything about why he was that way. Hopefully Hound Dog would get some information during his intake appointment, "Not at the moment. His reaction was definitely worrying, but people can react to stressful situations in strange ways. We're planning to put him into appointments with Hound Dog, the Guidance Counselor here at UA for the foreseeable future. Is there any information you can give us, how he lost his arm or-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," Inko said, voice cracking.and tears beginning to well up, "I… He just woke up one day missing an arm and hasn't talked about it and I haven't asked him about it because I'm a terr-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That doesn't make you a bad parent," Shouta said, cutting her off, "If Izuku hasn't brought it up, that implies he's coping with it by not talking about it. Don't think less of yourself for not wanting to break that coping mechanism. That's something I'll ask Hound Dog to do, getting to the root of psychological problems is his job. Can you tell us anything about Izuku before his Quirk manifested? Was he similar to how he is now or-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He was… more excitable," Inko said, "He would get incredibly excited about Heroes, and go on long tangents about the ones he saw on the way to and from school when he got home. Now, he just comes home and sleeps. I don't know where he keeps his most recent analysis journal-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Analysis journal?" Shouta's eyes sharpened, "Does Izuku analyze Quirks as a hobby?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Inko said, "I could get you one of his older ones, if you'd like. He keeps them at home."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, please," Shouta said. He'd have to tell Hound Dog to try and get Izuku to let him look at the most recent journal. There was sure to be some important information in some way, "We'll call you if Izuku appears on School Property. Can you do the same if he returns home?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Inko nodded, looking down, "Yes. I'll head home and pick up the journal he had before this one too, then be back to drop it off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta blinked as he looked down at his phone, a message from Power Loader sitting there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We got some stuff to talk about during the staff meeting. Those weapons, they're not normal, Eraser.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Tomura </b>
  <span>X--- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Over specialization," Tomura looked up from where he was leaning against the bar, nursing a glass of water and a tablet of ketorolac.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Tomura said to the audio-only feed coming from the television.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The reason the Nomu was defeated was over specialization," the Doctor said, "I'm sure you've run into it in some of your video games, Tomura. You create a character good for one thing, and when it faces something completely different it ultimately backfires. This Nomu was engineered to be the Anti-All Might, so when it clashed with this Midoriya, well… flaws that weren't meant to be problematic </span>
  <em>
    <span>became</span>
  </em>
  <span> problematic. I'll take responsibility for it, sir, I should have considered the possibility instead of just assuming he would be able to brute force any other threat."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then tell me, Doctor," the voice of Tomura's mentor said, "What flaws led to its death?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The first was, ironically, not a flaw, at least not in the traditional sense. It was us programming in an overriding goal to protect Tomura," the Doctor started, "and please don't misconstrue that, Tomura, it's good that you weren't struck by the bullets for reasons I'll make clear in a bit, but I expected All Might to attempt to engage you at one point, so Nomu would defend take the blow and then the other half of the programming would kick in. As such, I was expecting mid-to-close range attacks as he attempted to avoid collateral damage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And instead we got gunfire," Tomura said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Gunfire from strange bullets at that," the Doctor said, "They were primarily made of mercury, of all things, mixed with a type of blood I can't recognize and can't even say with certainty is human-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can't say it's human?" All for One said, "How so?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It has a Quirk-Factor, but the rodent in charge of UA should make it clear </span>
  <em>
    <span>that's</span>
  </em>
  <span> no longer a barrier. Otherwise, I've never seen anything like it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And did you test the blood on the weapon we brought?" Tomura asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I would have if it hadn't vanished in a cloud of mist as I was heading to," the Doctor said,  "evidently Midoriya doesn't like people touching his toys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So he can </span>
  <em>
    <span>make those go back to him!?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Tomura snarled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Still," Kurogiri said, "that gives us some information. There's either a cooldown, or a grace period, as he didn't bother doing so after you killed him at the USJ, Tomura Shigaraki."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So not all for nothing," All for One said, "We know of a dangerous, intriguing boy with a strange Quirk. Is there anything else, Doctor?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Not at the moment," the Doctor said, "I'll try the few samples of blood on some of the animals around here and see what happens."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Toru </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru sat in the corner of the classroom, the brim of Izuku's tophat threading between her fingers. Everything else had vanished into the mist Izuku used, and she was willing to bet that if she dropped the hat, it would do the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Toru's head shot up, Jiro settling into the chair across from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Toru said, "aren't you heading home?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"In a couple of minutes," Jiro said, "Wanted to check up on you first. Are your parents coming or…?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Toru nodded, "We just live in Chiyoda, so it takes a bit to get out of the city and through Mustafu. I normally have to leave, like, an hour and a half before classes start to get here in time!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Jiro nodded, before glancing down at the hat, "Worried about Green?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Toru said, voice cracking, "Do… why do you… I don't-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's probably fine," Jiro said, "if being decapitated isn't enough to keep him down I don't think anything is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And him killing those people?" Toru asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...I've got no idea," Jiro said, "I don't know him all that much better than you do, you know? He just… I </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> he wanted to make sure we're all safe, but I don't know what to think about what he did, if that makes any sense. It wasn't heroic, but… those villains were gonna kill us, Hagakure. One of them got me pretty good and I'm pretty sure I'd be dead if it weren't for Green and Yaomomo. We'll just have to wait and ask him ourselves whenever he shows back up."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Toru said, sighing and flipping the hat in her hands, ignoring the new bloodstains on it the best she could, "He really needs to replace this. It's getting worn out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seriously," Jiro snorted, before glancing back and tearing a piece of paper in two, handing one half to Toru and jotting something down on her half, "Well, I should probably get going before my dad makes an embarrassment out of himself and me. Here's my number, call me if Green shows up or… if you just want to talk or whatever."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru took the paper, writing down her number on the other half and handing it to Jiro. She took it with a nod and a small smile, before walking towards her parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's eyes flicked open with a groan and he pushed himself up off the bed, staggering towards the cracked mirror and staring at it. Glancing to the nearest Messenger, he croaked, "Get my shaving ki-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not shaving yourself," the Doll said, stepping into the room with another Messenger on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need to get rid of this," Izuku waved his hand (the one currently attached) at the clumps of stubble around his face, "I look ridiculous."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I will do it," the Doll said, taking the kit from the Messenger and forcing Izuku to sit, "but you have been unconscious for two days, and I spent most of that cutting away the flesh. You're in no condition to do this yourself… or to go out into Yharnam."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That obvious," Izuku mumbled, sitting down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," the Doll said, "You would not need to shave if you were planning to stay around the Dream. What were you planning to look for?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Blood stones and steel," Izuku muttered, "the Chikage is broken, I want to-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It can wait. Rest for now," the Doll said, "You are already burned out, now you need to rest."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," Izuku sighed, "Fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I'm a lying asshole, mostly because I went 'wait, why would it take a waking day and a half for Izuku to get out from under the knife if the time in the Dream is fluid?' So Izuku is awake, but planning to dive into Yharnam while the other half of that day and a half happens.</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Izuku slid through the shadows of Yharnam, Rakuyo flashing out and through the throat of one man nearing Beasthood from behind. Sliding into Oedon Chapel, Izuku watched the first of the five rat-like scavengers pass by him before rushing forward, wrapping his empty sleeve around their mouth and dragging them back, slitting their throat. Letting them drop into the gutter, Izuku moved further into the chapel… just in time to watch another scavenger vanish down the stairs leading to the graveyard, a hand dragging them away as the noise of metal through flesh hit his ears.</p><p>The other three scavengers stopped, turning towards the door, before a knife came flying out, sinking into another's throat with a gurgle, from his spot, Izuku detached the dagger off Rakuyo, held the saber between his teeth, and did the same to another. Taking the saber out of his mouth, Izuku was on the last in a burst of mist, running them through without pausing.</p><p>Turning, Izuku watched a woman with grey hair pulled into a braid step from the shadows, slate eyes scanning him for a moment before a pronounced accent spoke, "And what are you doing back here, Izuku?"</p><p>"I could ask the same, Eileen," Izuku said, "Did you find any survivors?"</p><p>"A few, I plan to move them at dawn," Eileen said, "Now for you?"</p><p>"I'm heading to the Healing Church's workshop," Izuku said, drawing the dagger from the dead scavenger and fumbling to attach it with one arm, 'I need to get some supplies. Join me?"</p><p>"With pleasure," Eileen said, heading towards the elevator alongside Izuku, "And where's that fake arm o' yours?"</p><p>"Can't use it at the moment," Izuku said, "The Doll is taking care of it."</p><p>"How is she?"</p><p>"Good," the elevator rumbled into motion, "How are your injuries?"</p><p>"Long since healed," Eileen said, "I may have a job for you. A Hunter is approaching Beasthood."</p><p>Izuku nodded slowly, "I'll change into the garb after this."</p><p>"And how have you been?" Eileen asked.</p><p>"Good," Izuku said, a grin splitting his face, "I told you about UA?"</p><p>"The prestigious academy you wished to enter, yes?"</p><p>"Yeah," Izuku nodded, "I got in!"</p><p>"I'm glad for you, but not surprised," Eileen said, "They'd be fools to refuse a hunter as adept as you."</p><p>--- X Shouta X---</p><p>"So," Shouta glanced over at Snipe, who seemed to be playing with his mask like he was about to remove it, "What do we do about Midoriya?"</p><p>"I want him in meetings with Hound Dog as soon as possible," Shouta said, nodding toward Inui Ryu. The guidance counselor barked a laugh around his muzzle.</p><p>"I wouldn't have it any other way… but that implies you don't want him expelled, Eraser?"</p><p>"And let the dangerous fighter out on the streets without supervision?" Shouta said, crossing his arms, "That sounds like the height of irrationality."</p><p>"He's got a point," Snipe said, crossing his arms, "Midoriya killed five villains durin' the incident, most of them in the first few minutes of it according to all reports. That right, Eraser?"</p><p>"Yeah," Shouta said, leaning forward in his chair, "And I'm willing to bet that if 'Nomu' hadn't attacked him while I dealt with the thugs, it would have been more. As it is, we need to have meetings with the Yaoyorozus and Kirishimas to break the news to them."</p><p>"I'm doing intake meetings for the entirety of 1-A," Hound Dog said, "after the day they had, it's better to catch anything as early as possible. Is that alright with you, sir? …Sir?"</p><p>"I heard you," Nezu said, typing on the laptop in front of him, "I'm just… I was looking to see if there were any murder cases in Japan that matched what Midoriya did today. Acting in defense of himself and his classmates is forgivable, even if his methods most definitely aren't healthy. A serial killer, on the other hand, is not."</p><p>"Anything?" Snipe asked, leaning over. Nezu shook his head with a sigh.</p><p>"Not on a cursory level. There's the Stendhal case that went cold five years ago, but-"</p><p>"Reports say Stendhal was a full grown man," Shouta finished.</p><p>"And I also suspect a connection between him and the Hero Killer," Nezu said, "survivors of him describe them losing control of their bodies. Stendhal had a similar Quirk, while of the many abilities Midoriya used in the USJ, that hasn't been one of them."</p><p>"Might just be hiding it," Snipe said, "Kid's been hiding a lot, apparently."</p><p>"I honestly can't tell if you want him kicked out or not," Shouta said.</p><p>"Without Midnight or Mic here, figured someone had to be playing devil's advocate," Snipe said, nodding out the window where Present Mic was distracting the press, "I think it's best if we keep the kid where we can know what he's doing. I don't like the idea of him going Vigilante or Villain. It's a bad idea."</p><p>"I agree," Shouta turned towards Power Loader, the shirtless hero stepping into the room, "because those weapons are weird."</p><p>"How so?" Nezu asked.</p><p>"First," Power Loader said, "I'll start with the Gun."</p><p>--- X Nezu X---</p><p>"It's a break action pistol," Nezu folded his paws in front of him as a 3D diorama of the gun appeared as Higari took the computer and plugged it into the projector, followed by a USB stick. Goodness, he could use a cigarette right now, despite the fact that Chiyo would probably hit him for that.</p><p>He'd just have to use his tea as a substitute until this day ended, whenever that was. Probably not until well after the school day had ended, at best. They still needed to talk to the two other students who had… had taken a life today. Silently, Nezu's paws clenched so hard that he could feel the bones press against each other through the fur, skin and muscles.</p><p>This shouldn't have happened. They shouldn't have to tell young Ejiro and Momo that they had, albeit accidentally, ended lives today. They shouldn't have to be debating whether or not Midoriya Izuku had any career as a Hero after his actions because villains had attacked his school, endangered his students and-.</p><p>"Sir?" Higari asked.</p><p>"Please," Nezu said, standing and glaring down at the ne- no, that didn't give the men and women who legitimately worked in the news business a good name to conflate them with these predators. There was going to be a lot of men who would never work in that business again by the time he was done, "Continue, Higari. I'm listening."</p><p>"I couldn't tell you what caliber of bullet it used," Higari said, "...Well, that's not quite true. Normally I'd have it for you by now easily, and I have a few third years looking at this 3D mockup to give you our best guess, but until that's done we're not getting anywhere."</p><p>"And why are we using a simulation instead of the real thing?" Nezu asked, catching Shouta nod in the window's reflection.</p><p>"Because the real thing vanished in a cloud of mist shortly after I grabbed a sample from the scythe," Higari said, "The scythe did the same the minute I put it down, but, strangely, not the hilt of the destroyed sword or its sheath."</p><p>"Interesting," Nezu said, "that implies one of two things. Either young Izuku's weapons will default to returning to his pocket dimension, the problem with that theory obviously being the fact that some of them have not… or Izuku is awake and consciously called them back to hum."</p><p>"If he's awake then why isn't he back at UA?" Shouta asked, "He didn't look like he was in good shape when he blacked out, and we have the best medic in the country in Recovery Girl."</p><p>"That," Nezu said, "has a few possible answers itself. The first is that Izuku's Quirk, which has already shown a healing factor, works better in the pocket dimension. The second is that he is acting like an animal would, hiding in a place he feels is 'safe' while he recovers. No matter which answer is correct, I doubt we'll see Izuku before he's healed up."</p><p>"If it's the second," Shouta grumbled, "He's being irrational. He'll heal faster with Recovery Girl."</p><p>"Nothing in this world is tied down to rationality, Shouta," Nezu chided softly, "It certainly wasn't before Quirks came into existence and it most definitely isn't in this society. Higari, you said you got a sample off the scythe?"</p><p>"Yeah, and that's where the real weirdness comes in," Higari pulled up a picture of a molecule, a meteor and the scythe, "FeCO3, ferrous carbonate, also known as siderite. Pure siderite, the type that doesn't occur in nature and you wouldn't want because the blade would be relatively weak."</p><p>"That blade definitely wasn't weak," Shouta said.</p><p>"I know," Higari said, "but that's not the strange part. Siderite is magnetic when heated, and only when heated… but we had to scrape it off my fingers after I picked it up."</p><p>"So the blade's hot?"</p><p>"No," Higari said, "It was cold, that's what's strange about it. Where did Midoriya get it?"</p><p>"I don't-" Shouta was cut off as Higari's phone went off, he quickly answered it.</p><p>"Yes?" </p><p>"Sensei!" An excitable voice came across the other end, "I was studying the sheath you brought in and discovered something! There's a blade in it!"</p><p>"That's generally what-" Higari started, before stopping, "What do you mean 'there's a blade in it', Hatsume?" </p><p>"There's a blade running along the back edge of the sheath, it's kinda small, only an inch or two long, and on the wrong side for cutting, obviously-"</p><p>"Unless it was made for bloodletting," Shouta muttered.</p><p>So that's how Midoriya used the blood abilities he occasionally used without impaling himself. Stange, but ingenious.</p><p>--- X Eileen X---</p><p>Eileen watched Izuku move out of the corner of her eye as he reached up to scratch the stubble around his face, "How long did it take you to realize she hadn't actually shaved it?"</p><p>"Longer than I want to admit," Izuku said as the elevator stopped on the second floor, stomping the button on the ground to get it moving again.</p><p>"It doesn't look bad on you, you know that, right? It's even, at least."</p><p>"I look like I've got a layer of moss growing across my face," Izuku whined, sheathing his sword and grabbing the gun off the small of his back. As one, the two Hunters stepped away from each other and toward the sides of an extremely chipped exit, dodging the hail of fire from the hand-cranked gatling gun as the elevator stopped on the floor leading to the Healing Church's Workshop. Izuku swung the gun around, firing and waiting for the fire to stop and Eileen prepared her own just in case. </p><p>It was ultimately pointless, as the gun fire stopped a second later and Izuku marched out of the elevator, ripping the mass of Quicksilver rounds from the gun, "Do you need any?"</p><p>"No," Eileen said, "I've got all I need. Take them."</p><p>"Alright then," Izuku dropped the bullets, letting them sink into the mist of the Dream, except for one, "Do you mind helping me reload?"</p><p>"Where's Isshin?" Eileen asked, taking the gun and bullet and flicking open the gun, removing the round and loading in the new one, before handing it back to Izuku.</p><p>"There was an fight at UA," Izuku said, returning the gun to it's holster and unsheathing his sword, "the most interesting thing to happen since I got in, really. But I pushed myself too hard and we had to remove Isshin by force again. We think I've only got two or three of those left in me before the stump is left as nothing but scar tissue, so I'm not risking it. Ready?"</p><p>"In a moment," Eileen said, "How many people are here?"</p><p>"Dunno," Izuku said, "depends on how many are in the band that moved in. Can't say I blame them for choosing here, it's got nearly everything you would need to survive in Yharnam. Only thing missing is food or blood."</p><p>"Which is why I never use it," Eileen said, "it's too valuable to easily hold. You have it one day, been butchered to a man by another group the next."</p><p>"A group of Dreamers could hold it," Izuku said, "or even just trained Hunters."</p><p>"A group of Dreamers could hold anywhere," Eileen said, "and the second are in short supply in this day and age. Unless you're taking on apprentices?"</p><p>"I might train a couple of the kids at UA to fight," Izuku said, "especially if the fight we had today is indicative of what we'll be dealing with, but otherwise no."</p><p>"'Indicative'" Eileen said, "What happened to the boy who could barely string a sentence together?"</p><p>"He spent ten months learning to speak our tongue and teaching the Doll to speak his," Izuku said, "are you ready now?"</p><p>"Oh, I suppose," Eileen said, "on three?"</p><p>Izuku nodded, grinning at her, "Trick question. You're just gonna say-"</p><p>"Three!" Eileen said, bolting out with Izuku next to her.</p><p>--- X Izuku X---</p><p>Izuku watched the pair of rifles be raised, Quickening his body and throwing himself at the gunner on the right, he hooked his arm around their neck and span, slamming them into the other guard and throwing them both off the edge of the building. Eileen caught up with him then, one dagger knocking aside the saber aiming for Izuku's side while the other flashed through their throat. </p><p>Izuku dropped the Rakuyo, turning towards the open doorway as he pulled a cocktail from his pocket and threw it. The three men charging him had a moment to look horrified before the flames swallowed them, the familiar smell of burning flesh filling the air. Grabbing Rakuyo from the ground, Izuku stepped into the workshop with Eileen. Piles of blood quenched steel, barrels of quicksilver and crates of bloodstone shards were laying around the open room… alongside six men with swords and pistols, " I take the left, you take the right?"</p><p>"When you're missing your left arm?" Eileen said, "No, I take the left, you take the right."</p><p>"Fair," Izuku said, charging towards the nearest fighter on his side, Eileen doing the same for hers. The Rakuyo batted aside the saber before finding flesh and punching through it. Izuku kicked the man off the blade, turning towards the woman as she ran a course paper along the blade, igniting it.</p><p>Izuku flipped the Rakuyo, throwing it like a javelin into her throat before he drew Evelyn, executing the last without hesitation as he charged with a spear. Holstering the gun, Izuku drew the Rakuyo from the woman and turned towards Eileen, watching her clean her daggers with a rag.</p><p>"Tell me about the mark," Izuku said as he began to move around the room, planting his hands on various crates, barrels and piles of steel and letting the Messengers rise up to take them to the Dream. Eileen sighed, sitting against the wall.</p><p>"His name is Franz," Eileen said, "a few years older than you, and started the same night. I think he joined Valtr's group too, and there's only two ways for that to go. Too many of them can't stand those 'vermin'."</p><p>"I know," Izuku said with a nod. The vermin, the kegare had unsettled him for a while, and it was only taking Valtr's place and realizing they were a hallucination that had stemmed it. Ironically, the same thing that kept most Confederate's focused also drove them mad eventually, "...You know in another life, we might have switched positions. If I hadn't been picked to Dream-"</p><p>"Don't think about that," Eileen said, "it might cause you to hesitate. He's falling apart, badly, and he needs to be put down now before he does completely and becomes a beast. Last I heard, he was lurking in the chapel of Old Yharnam, praying and baying in equal measure. Take him down now, before he devolves enough for that fool of a Powder Kegger decides to put him under his aegis."</p><p>"Weapon?"</p><p>"He used a kirkhammer," Eileen said, standing, "I should go looking for survivors. Once you're done with Franz, meet me at Oedon. I'll make a quick sweep around the Ward."</p><p>Izuku nodded, mist beginning to overtake him, "See you then."</p><p>--- X Momo X---</p><p>Momo sat with her parents, silently waiting in the meeting room they had been directed toward after arriving. Why was she-?</p><p>The door swung open, letting in Aizawa and Midnight and they both looked… serious. Unusually so, in both heroes' cases, which was saying something for Aizawa, whose normal slouch has vanished entirely. The door swung shut and Aizawa locked it, before kicking a white noise machine on.</p><p>"Thank you for waiting for us," Aizawa said, bowing slightly and looked sick, "We… We've been dealing with a lot today, obviously."</p><p>"Obviously," Momo' father, Ritchi, said, without much bite, "especially if you've been individually meeting each parent and chi- you haven't been doing that, have you?"</p><p>It had been the look on Midnight's face that gave it away. A flicker of guilt and sadness as she sank into the chair directly across from Momo. Even Aizawa looked like he had been punched in the chest from where he was standing, before he coughed into his hand, "No, that's not why we're here. Things…"</p><p>Aizawa listed off, playing with his goggles before Midnight grabbed him by the arm. He snapped back to attention, sighing, "There's no easy way to say this, but… there was a severe problem with Momo's actions at the USJ, one we're here to talk about."</p><p>"Shouta," Midnight said, tone almost sisterly before she reached out and squeezed Momo's hands gently, "The way he phrased that was bad. You did incredibly well over the course of the Incident, don't misunderstand. Every one of your classmates who saw you had nothing but good things to say, Jiro and Uraraka in particular cited you as vital to them surviving the incident."</p><p>No innuendo. That wasn't good, that wasn't good at all</p><p>"Stop coddling her, Nemuri," Aizawa said.</p><p>Midnight bit back a sigh, before looking at them, muttering something under her breath before speaking up, "unfortunately, there was a complication with one of the villains you took down."</p><p>"What complication?" Momo's Mother asked, eyes narrowing.</p><p>"One of the villains you fought," Midnight said, voice gentle, "You hit them in the head and… you broke her neck and caused a severe concussion. I'm sorry, but… they didn't make it."</p><p>Momo's stomach plummeted, a feeling of queasiness overtaking her. It was then she found out why Aizawa hadn't sat down.</p><p>He was standing next to the trash can, pushing it towards her without a word. She snagged it and began to retch into it as everything else was drowned out. She had… she had…</p><p>Oh, God, she had killed someone. She hadn't meant to kill them, it had just been… been…</p><p>Tears began to stream down Momo's face as she continued to retch, a heavy hand landing on her shoulder, and Aizawa spoke, "I know… it's… just let it out. That's why we're doing this in private. There are gonna be questions during the press release, but you deserve to deal with this now, away from others. The police and UA have already agreed that no names will be named for any of the bodies, as little of a consolation as that is."</p><p>"And charges?" Ritchi asked.</p><p>"None," Aizawa said, "They broke into UA with the stated goal of torturing and killing students to draw out All Might while cutting us off from the outside world. Everything that happened today is being classified as defense of self and others. Hound Dog is going to have a meeting with you at some point over the next week, but for now, go home and take care of yourself."</p><p>"Thank you," Ritchi said, taking Momo's hand and guiding her up.</p><p>--- X Ejiro X---</p><p>Ejiro stared at his hands in silent horror, watching them shake. No… no, no.</p><p>"I'm sorry," Snipe said snapping off his gas mask and meeting Ejiro's red eyes with his amber irises, "It's a hell of a thing, killing someone. A heavy weight."</p><p>"Snipe," Present Mic said, "You're-"</p><p>"Trust me, Mic," Snipe said, kneeling down in front of Ejiro, voice gruff but not unkind, "It's not something you should have had to confront so early, but things happen sometimes, kid. Quirks are weapons, just as sure as anything else. We don't want to kill, but when you decide to use a weapon, you've gotta carry the weight of it. I'm sorry you had to learn that like this."</p><p>"I just… I didn't mean to," Ejiro said, voice shaking.</p><p>"Nobody thinks you did," Snipe said, "You just saw a classmate's corpse and went right for the nearest weak spot. You don't have much martial arts training, do ya?"</p><p>"No," Ejiro said, "I… I wanted to make sure my Quirk was strong enough to get into UA."</p><p>"So you,'re a brawler," Snipe said, "you were running on adrenaline, you were probably pissed the hell off… and you just swung, not caring what you hit. Like I said, nobody blames you for what happened, kid."</p><p>"But… but I killed someone," Ejiro choked out. That, that wasn't manly at all…</p><p>"You were under duress," Snipe said, "you had been threatened with death, and even if Midoriya somehow survived it, they showed then and there that they weren't bluffing. Accidents happen in the field, it's inevitable, and that's for men and women who have finished their training. You're only a week into yours."</p><p>"But… how? If you're trained, how-?"</p><p>"You misjudge how badly someone will be hurt by fire, or they have a bad reaction to your gas, or they move at the last second and throw off your shot," Snipe said, tapping the grip of his gun meaningfully, "We're still human, Kirishima, and that means we make mistakes sometimes. Our training is to make sure those mistakes happen as infrequently as physically possible."</p><p>"But…" </p><p>"I know, it doesn't help to hear that, and everything I say is gonna sound hollow. You're gonna have to have appointments with Hound Dog, he'll help you get through this," Snipe said, before resting a fist on Ejiro's chest, "but I got to say, everything that happened today related to this, from you doing it in the first place to you taking it so badly… it shows just how big your heart is, and that it's sure as hell in the right place. You're a good kid, Kirishima, let that weight rest on your shoulders, but don't let it drag you down."</p><p>--- X Izuku X---</p><p>There was a centuries old saying that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. In Izuku's experience, not only was that saying completely and utterly correct, it was underselling how badly things could, and often did go.</p><p>The green moon hung in the sky as he approached the place where Alfred and him had once fought the beast with a flayed back. The incense in the beak of the crowfeather garb blocking the perpetual smell of iron and burning flesh and wood that haunted Old Yharnam. Izuku crouched in front of a corpse Scourge beast, fingers probing the wound in its chest and  hissing as they slid up to the knuckles. </p><p>He hadn't even seen Franz yet, and it was already clear Eileen's information was faulty. This wound hadn't been inflicted by a kirkhammer's sword, it was too wide, too deep, too long.</p><p>So that left two options, either Franz had abandoned his kirkhammer for another weapon, or he had a friend. Neither option was particularly appealing when he had come kitted to fight a Hunter with a kirkhammer. </p><p>Still, best to forge ahead.</p><p>Standing, Izuku stepped towards the chapel and watched the man stomping around the single room. Fur covered every visible part of his body, from his face to his too long arms.</p><p>Each of which was holding a Hunter's axe. Joy. </p><p>"Hey!" Izuku called, stepping into the room… and dashing towards him in one move, unsheathing the Blades of Mercy as he went. He just needed to land one blow, right in the neck, make it clean. Franz turned, swinging both axes for Izuku's side and forcing him to dodge. Landing, Izuku continued his footwork as Franz gave a mad flurry of slashes with each axe. Up, down, left, right, right!</p><p>Izuku met the other Hunter's eyes, pupils that had started to turn to mush glaring with bestial hate before he stepped into the attacks and drove the Blades into his throat and ripped them out, blood pouring down and staining his already yellowed shirt red before he dropped. Biting a sigh, Izuku reached down to pick up the body and focused on the highest peak in Yharnam, where he had started this night. Now he had to return there for the sky burial part of the Hunter of Hunter's duties… and he had to do it one handed.</p><p>Still, at least once this was done, he could begin to work on the new Trick Weapon to replace the Chikage.</p><p>---</p><p>On the practices of the Hunter of Hunters: By ??? </p><p>The first Hunter of Hunters came to Yharnam from the eastern steppes, though how the curative properties of the Old Blood had made it that far is unknown, just as it is unknown how the Hunters Yamamura and Isshin learned of it. Despising the burial traditions of the local Yharnamites, when he was forced to put down a beloved friend infected by the Scourge, he began the traditions that would eventually be embraced by those from Yharnam as part of the Hunter of Hunters' duties. </p><p>The first is the swift and painless killing of the inflicted before they descend to full Beasthood. Preferably through a strike to the throat, though subtly poisoning the inflicted is not unheard of.</p><p>The second, created by the later Hunter of Hunters, is to find any kin remaining, to get permission for the third step. If no kin can be found, or are too far out to be practical, step three is to be initiated.</p><p>The third is to make their way to either a mountain top or other high place to deposit the body in the process of sky burial, leaving the body to the crows that Hunters of Hunters are dressed to be kin to.</p><p>--- X ??? X---</p><p>"You wanted to see us, sir?"</p><p>"Yes, Miro, Nejire, Tamaki, come in. I must ask a favor of you three."</p><p>--- X AN X---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact, Nezu being a smoker is canon, though him trying to kick the addiction for caffeine is, as far as I know, not.</p><p>So, Izuku's kinda on the down low for this arc, which I feel should make sense. He doesn't have the emotional fallout 1-A is dealing with on the table, as shown by his conversation with Eileen where he essentially says he doesn't see what happened at the USJ as as big of a deal as it was.</p><p>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Izuku's hand glowed, mumbling words that no human could speak as runes glowed around the rarely used backyard of the Workshop, the forge blazing with blood red flames as the metal melted and warped at his command. In front of him hovered his journal, turned to the page holding all the Caryl Runes he had found during his time in Yharnam.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blood, Hunter, Corruption, Executioner, Fading Lake, Dissipating Lake, Arcane Lake, Heir, </span>
  <span>each utterance caused the metal to ripple and dance, infusing the metal with Izuku's will. Finally, Izuku drew the dagger of Rakuyo from his side, running it into his left shoulder joint and flicked it out with gritted teeth, blood flying from it unnaturally and mixing with the metal, </span>
  <span>Stunning Deep Sea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The metal stopped its movement, bloodstones flying into the mass and melting, merging with the metal. Izuku willed the metal to stretch, taking on the form of the blade and cooling as it plunged into the bucket of oil, igniting it and quenching the blade again. The long guard with a centipede like the League hunted coiled around it rose up, sliding along the tang and merging with it, beast leather wrapping around the tang to form the grip as the kashira locked in place. Izuku drew the blade from the oil, red energy rising off it as the arcane energy vanished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blade was longer than the Chikage had been by a hand and a half, which meant he was going to need a new sheath, red as blood rippled with black and with three small indentations in the grip. Izuku felt the blade hum and resonate with him as he twirled the blade, the blood used in its forging still recognizing its owner. A content smirk slid onto his face despite himself, and Izuku carried the blade into the Workshop, resting it on the workbench and choosing three gems and sliding them into the indents, two in the shape of triangles and one…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…one in the shape of an oval, red as the blade it was being added to and slightly larger than the other two. As Izuku held it, a blind man wielding an axe flashed across his mind, then a pair of sisters. His biggest failure, the night of the Hunt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku slid it into place, the leather shifting unnaturally to accommodate it like it had the other two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Done?" The Doll asked from behind him, offering him his coat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For now," Izuku said, sliding it on and offering her a small smile, "I should go get the supplies for upgrading Isshin and the new sheath from UA. I'll be back as soon as-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Check on your mother," the Doll said seriously, "And tell her part of what happens when you are here. She's probably worried about you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku winced, before nodding, "Right. I'll do that too, </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span> rest and be back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good," the Doll said, smiling at him, "You shouldn't neglect your life in the Waking World for me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Higari X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Siderite…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why, of all things, was the blade made of siderite? It just didn't make sense, siderite, as a metal, was fairly rare, it wasn't as strong as steel, there was absolutely no reason the scythe should have been made of </span>
  <em>
    <span>siderite</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet, the data didn't lie. And that drove Higari insane, it irritated him and left him pacing the room, barely paying attention to the television playing the press conference in the background, students gathering around it. He'd watch it later, even if the only person who could possibly answer his questions was-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me?" Higari turned towards the entrance, eyes widening under his mask. Speak of the devil, "is this the support wing? I'm looking for Power Load-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya!" Higari said, pulling out his phone and sending a message to Aizawa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He's here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hello," Izuku said, stepping into the room and exposing the sad, deflated left sleeve of his coat, a scruffy beard across his face, "I need your help with a couple of things."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's that?" Higiri said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need a shea-" Izuku stopped, head jerking to the side and eyes sharpening, "Rewind that!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wha-?" Before Hatsume could finish, Midoriya grabbed the remote and rewinded the live feed, lips pressed tight, "Hey!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," Midoriya said, but cranked the volume, "I thought I heard them say…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"...Seven villains were killed over the course of the incident,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> Izuku closed his eyes at the Principal's words, falling into the nearest chair and feeling the weight crash on his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>-Which students resorted to lethal actions</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" one of the reporters' voice sank through, asking the same question going through Izuku's head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The police department and UA have agreed to keep the identities secret for the safety of the students and their families</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Nezu said, and the unspoken statement of 'don't look into this further' hanging in the air like an executioner's blade. A threat, but only to those who had drawn its wielder's ire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get out," Izuku was aware that Power Loader had said it, gesturing for the students to move as Izuku's hand clenched so hard the bones groaned and popped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get out," Power Loader said, "Please."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was shuffling all around Izuku as he sat there, mind racing. When the door finally shut, leaving him and Power Loader alone, he spoke, "You didn't need to do that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You deserve privacy," the Pro said, sitting down across from Izuku, "This isn't about you, is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I killed five," Izuku said, "and not a single more, I know that for a fact. Who killed the other two?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can't-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who the hell did I fail!?" Izuku snarled, punching the metal table so hard that both hand and metal protested. Skin turned red as steel groaned under inhumanly dense muscles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You… think that you failed them?" Power Loader said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't kill those people because I like killing," Izuku said softly, "I did it to keep the others safe. I failed at least one person."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two girls flashed across his vision, a dead woman, an old man run through from behind as a dagger found his throat, an archer laying on the mold eaten floor. And now he had failed, at least one person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...That isn't my place to say," Power Loader said, "I'm sorry. But you didn't fail, they were accidents. I can say that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was still a failure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," Izuku said, looking up, "Do you mind helping me with those things?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only if you don't mind telling me something," Power Loader said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We got a sample of your scythe before it came back to you," Power Loader said, "Why did you make it out of siderite of all things?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't make it," Izuku said, "it belonged to my mentor, Gehrman, before his death."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Power Loader went silent, before he reached out to touch Izuku's shoulder, "I'm sorry. But do you know-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's meteoric iron," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Meteoric- </span>
  <em>
    <span>that's why</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Power Loader said, "was he superstitious?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone in Yharnam was superstitious, "Kinda. But it's an effective weapon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess. Anyways, what did you need?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need two things," Izuku said, pulling out the new sword from the mist, "A sheath for this… and some polymer and a connective glove for my prosthetic."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Power Loader was quiet, before speaking up, "Why not just bring the prosthetic here for upgrades?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That sounded like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible idea</span>
  </em>
  <span>, "I prefer working on it myself, that way if there's any issues with it I'll know immediately. It's nothing personal… though I might need some help with the glove, once everything is over."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Alright then," Power Loader said, "It will take a day to get that and the sheath ready. Let me get some measurements on the sword."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Inko X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko's head snapped up at the knock, scrambling down the hall and throwing open the door. She took just enough time to see Izuku standing there looking tired, a green long coat with a popped collar covering him, before she threw herself at him, crushing him into a tight hug, tears pouring from her eyes, "You're here! I was so worried and… and…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku slowly reached up, wrapping his one arm around Inko, "Sorry. I was just… I had some stuff I needed to do in the Dream to recover. I'm fine Mom, just… just a bit worn out. Can I get something to eat, please?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko nodded rapidly, rushing for the kitchen and gesturing for Izuku to sit at the table, pulling out  the ingredients for katsudon and starting the stove. Behind her, Izuku collapsed into the chair, eyes downcast as he rubbed at his scraggly beard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm… how did you grow a beard so fast?" Inko asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a long story," Izuku said, "but… time in the Dream can slow down. I was there for a few days recovering."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko paused, glancing back at Izuku, "And how often do you do that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku mumbled something out, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. Finally, he said, "I'm probably closer to sixteen, mentally…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko's grip of the pot tightened, "Your birthday isn't for another four months."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, "It's… it's nice in the Dream, Mom. There's this house in a meadow and… and it's just nice. I like spending time there, fixing the workshop."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you never told me?" Inko asked, "is that why you're always asleep when you're home?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah,'" Izuku said, eyes meeting hers, "I'm sorry, Mom, I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I spent months worrying about you," Inko said, voice shaking as she let the water boil, for the rice, "I was wondering if I had done something wrong or… or anything. You couldn't have just </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> me what it was like there? If it's a peaceful place, then I'm not mad that you'd like to go there, but you could have told me-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know," Izuku said, breaking eye contact, "I… I'm sorry about worrying you, Mom. I've had a lot on my mind. There's more than just the workshop, there's… there's someone who's my best friend there, but she can't leave, so I don't want to leave her alone while I try to find a way for her to get out, if that makes any sense. She… she wanted me to talk to you about this, so… here we are."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then she sounds like a good person," Inko said, "What's her name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She… she doesn't really have one," Izuku said, "She just goes by 'the Doll', because she… uh… she has a Quirk that makes her look like a Doll! Like, a full sized person, but with doll parts-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like your prosthetic?" Inko asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, blushing. "She's… she's the nicest person you could ever meet. And I want her to get out of the Dream so she can live a life outside of helping me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku had feelings for this girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Feelings for a girl he visited for most of every day…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Izuku," Inko said, "I just want to remind you that I'm too young to be a grandmother."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku spluttered, face lighting, "It's- it's not like that! I'd never- She's not- We're not dating, Mom!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm your mother," Inko said, "can you look me in the eye and say you don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish</span>
  </em>
  <span> you were dating her?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"..." Izuku was silent, but didn't meet Inko's eyes, "It's complicated, Mom. She's stuck in the Dream, it's not fair to her for me to put pressure on a relationship when she doesn't have a choice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So if you could get her out of the dream," Inko said, starting the pork cutlet, "Would you try to?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"..." Izuku looked away with a blush.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta steps into the classroom two days later, eyes scanning the room. Midoriya was moving his hand, wincing as he did so, but otherwise seemed fine. Probably wasn't used to the weight of it yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was ironic that it had been Power Loader who had gotten information off of Midoriya, though  Shouta supposed that was what happened when he was the only one who decided to do something as simple as </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask</span>
  </em>
  <span>, instead of fishing around Midoriya… even if that information hadn't gone anywhere yet. Midoriya's trainer was named Gehrman, and he had died at some point. The source of death, however, was currently unknown. As who Gehrman </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as a cursory glance didn't reveal any hero using that name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So it was either his real name or he was a vigilante. Either option was going to take longer to find if Hound Dog didn't manage to dig things up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...Fuck, that was the type of pun Fukukado would have used.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everyone," Shouta said, eyes scanning across the classroom, "Welcome back. I have… news for you. First, over the course of the next week, Hound Dog will be taking you from classes to talk to you about the USJ incident. I don't want to hear any complaints, these appointments are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> optional. If you don't go… then you won't be allowed to participate in the Sports Festival in two weeks."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Every set of eyes widened, mouths falling open. He didn't blame them, if he had been in their position, he would have expected to to be cancelled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hell, he thought they </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> cancel it, but they really didn't have a choice. These were integral for the internship drafts next month.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because of this," Shouta continued, "You're going to be given free periods during when you </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> have Heroics. Both for the appointments, and to train your Quirks for the Festival. Remember, this is your chance to show off to the world what you can do, so Heroes can decide to offer an internship. The better you do, the more internships you could get. Am I understood?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nods came from across the class, faces serious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good," Shouta said, "for those students who need support items, remember to pick up the forums for it, but don't forget your other classes, like-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hizashi threw open the door, walking in, "What's up~!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-English," Shouta finished, stepping out of the classroom and walking down the hall. He still wasn't sure this was a good idea. There was a good chance it would end badly in his opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Especially if the other classes decided to provoke-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aizawa," Kan said, stepping out of 1-B's classroom, "We might have a problem. 1-B was talking about checking out 1-A… and I'm not sure we can keep certain students under control."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Neito </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neito watched the crowd standing around 1-A's open door and tried to hide his scowl. There hadn't been a crowd like that around 1-B!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just because they had fought some villains, they thought they were so much better than his class? He'd remind everyone what they were, "What are you doing standing around the killer class?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell across the hall, some people glancing at him as the sound of a chair being pushed back echoed. Heavy footfall came from the room, and a voice that sounded like it smoked a pack of razors growled out, "Who said that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya," a girl said, voice carrying a warning tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who," Midoriya repeated, voice growing deeper and raspier "said that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People moved aside, letting Midoriya step through as some of them pointed him straight at Neito. Green eyes flecked with orange stared at him, 'Midoriya' standing an inch or two shorter than Neito. Behind him stood a red head with her hair into a sidetail, looking ready to step in. Good, that made Neito's actions look better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I said it," Neito said, grinned, "I mean, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>the class who killed seven-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-villains who wanted to torture and kill us," Midoriya gritted out, "What's your point?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The way you say it," Neito said, shrugging, "You make it sound like you think it was justified. I bet you're one of the ones who did it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya stared at Neito for a second before scoffing and turning towards the crowd, voice softening and becoming higher pitched, "I don't have time for this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're either trying to provoke me to make yourself look good, or a fool. You say that you think I'm one of the killers, but are also trying to poke and prod me by calling my class the 'killer class'. Those are the actions of either someone with no self preservation, or who wants us to be angry. Am I wrong?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neito sputtered, "I-!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I fought to keep my classmates safe," Midoriya said, pushing through the crowd, "and yes, seven people are dead because of me doing that. The other option was twenty dead students, I don't feel shame for that trade, and I don't need </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> shaming me for it when you weren't there. And I definitely don't need you insulting my class for </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> actions."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya vanished into the crowd, a girl with purple hair and a floating girl's uniform following right after.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Monoma," Neito turned, meeting Kan-Sensei's disappointed gaze as he approached with 1-A's teacher, "I told you to leave them alone. They didn't owe you anything, let alone someone lying to keep his classmates safe from a name like 'the killer class'."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lying? Midoriya had been… lying?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stepped into the office with a sigh, meeting Hound Dog's eyes and sitting across from the lifestyle guidance counselor. The permanent glower on the Hound Hero's face met Izuku's eyes, and the Hunter spoke, "So, what do I call you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because I'm not technically a teacher?" Hound Dog asked, and at Izuku's nod, shrugged, "call me whatever makes you comfortable. That's the most important thing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hound Dog it was, "Alright. I guess I'm here because I killed those villains?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"In part," Hound Dog said, leaning forward, "but it's far from the only thing. I'm seeing everyone from 1-A, not just the ones who killed people. That wasn't a good situation you were put in."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrugged, "I'm fine." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not from what Kan and Maijima said," Hound Dog said, "You'll forgive them for telling me these things?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't particularly care," Izuku said, "If I said it to them, or around them, it's not something I'd like to keep a secret. I wouldn't tell them anything if I wanted to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is there anyone you'd tell those to?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doll, "One person. I'm not gonna say who."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not your mother, I'm guessing?" Hound Dog said, and Izuku nodded, "Right then. So let's start with the fact that you took credit for all seven deaths at the USJ, even though Maijima said you knew you only were responsible for five of them. Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can take people hating me," Izuku said, "I'm used to it. The rest of the class doesn't deserve to be treated badly for something that was mostly my fault… and besides, if I had been better, the other two wouldn't have had to kill at all."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Would you say the same about UA?" Hound Dog asked, "That if we had been a bit better, you wouldn't have had to kill?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrugged, "Not really. You weren't exactly expecting an attack-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you were?" Hound Dog asked, "We have more responsibility towards that than you, Midoriya, but Power Loader said you viewed the fact that others took lives as a failure on your part."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time in the conversation, Izuku's eyes broke from Hound Dog's, staring down, "I started killing to keep them safe. Them having to do the same means I failed them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't fail them," Hound Dog said, "You fought to keep them safe, yes, but it would have taken someone equal to All Might to make sure they weren't in danger for the entire fight. You're a new student, and don't have the training to do that. The only person who blames you, is yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He should tell that to Simon, or Viola or Henryk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Chiseki X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Chiseki: A Trick Weapon forged through arcane means to act as Izuku Midoriya's weapon of choice, bearing the name 'Bloody Gate'.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku's devilish skill with the blade was created and refined on the Night of the Hunt, to the point he could be viewed as a weapon himself. Cutting his way through Yharnam, Izuku invented several techniques meant for nearly any scenario. This blade was forged to enhance them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X ---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shorter chapter, as I wanted Izuku's interactions with 1-A (and the Big 3) to get their own chapter, like they really deserve. Most notably, Momo confronting and asking Izuku why he took credit for the kills he wasn't responsible for got pushed back to be the start of the next chapter. </p><p> </p><p>In unrelated news, working on a Izuku/Fem!Todoroki cross with Final Fantasy, because I apparently don't have enough bad ideas going.</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is far from the best chapter, I know, the Stay At Home order has been kicking my ass against the wall and making it hard to get any motivation. I forced the end of this chapter out so I could go curl up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Momo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo stepped through the simulated city, hair rising as she approached where Midoriya was supposed to be. She wasn't that on guard, was sh-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A blast of red lightning flew by her, scoring the ground and spiking Momo's hair like a porcupine. Oh, well that explained that at least…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stepping out of the alley into the square, she watched Midoriya lift up his sword, electricity crackling along it before he brought it down with a bestial yell. More lightning flew from the blade, scoring the ground and as it went. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya?" Momo said, watching the shirtless boy stop, lowering the sword as he turned slightly. Her eye was drawn to be blue-black material of his left arm, scar tissue visible above it. It was strangely built, like a doll's arm. But then, she noticed the other hand, "You're injured!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya glanced down at the blackened skin on his right, before shrugging and crouching, impaling the blade of his sword into the ground where it sank like butter, "It'll recover. What did you need, Yaoyorozu?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Recover, </span>
  <em>
    <span>recover</span>
  </em>
  <span>!? "Your hand is scorched black!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've healed from worse," Midoriya said, and Momo stopped. Right, right. This was Midoriya, who had, by all rights, </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span> twice during the USJ incident. Who had literally been decapitated in front of her eyes and reappeared minutes later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that raised the nightmarish question of what could have injured him to the point where he couldn't regrow his arm? Or had it happened before his Quirk manifested?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya grabbed a bottle and his coat from his mist, planting the bottle next to him and sliding the coat over his shoulders to hide the hand, gesturing for Momo to come closer with the other as he sprawled out across the ground, "What did you need?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo bit her lip, and then said, "You know you didn't kill everyone at the USJ, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya stopped from examining the bottle, eyes meeting hers as he put it back down. Glancing at it, she caught sight of a scrawl of english, followed by a set of numbers. Then she looked back up, meeting Midoriya's tired eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So," Midoriya said, voice somber, "You're the one I failed?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fail-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You killed someone there," Midoriya said, voice clipped, "Didn't you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… yes," Momo said, "You didn't-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know I didn't," Midoriya said, playing with the bottle again, "I never thought I did."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo blinked, mouth falling open, "Then why did you say-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I grew up Quirkless, you know?" Midoriya said, conversationally, and finally unstoppered the bottle, pausing, "I'd offer you some, but it's not something most people like."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that alcohol?" Momo said sharply, "You're below the-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, the somber look on his face breaking as he laughed, "No. It's not alcohol, Class rep. Though I guess I made the right choice on who to vote for."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You voted for me?" Momo said, before shaking her head, "If it's not alcohol, what is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Blood," Midoriya said, drinking from the bottle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
  <b>X Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku gave a weak smile as he lowered the bottle, the spices mixed with the blood burning his throat in a comfortable way. Of all the uses of the Dream that Gehrman could have taught him, Izuku thought using it to create Blood Cocktails in the cellar had to have been the most mundane, but enjoyable, "I told you most people didn't like it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Blood</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?" Momo said, looking aghast, "Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kickstarts my regeneration," Izuku said, taking another sip, "It seems gastly, I know, but Quirks are Quirks. I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Momo shook her head, "You're right, Quirks are Quirks, you shouldn't have to apologize for something you were born with."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," that would have meant something if it was actually his Quirk doing the work, "I try to keep it to a minimum, but it's that or charred flesh so…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pick my poison?" Momo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pretty much," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then drink," Momo said, "You shouldn't put up with an injury for my sensibilities."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku cracked a grin, toasting her gently before taking another swig, "Now, where was I… right, I was Quirkless for a long time. It only unlocked half a year ago."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But, what does that have to do with you saying you were the one who killed them all?" Momo asked, eyes trained on Izuku as he drank from the bottle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When you're Quirkless…" Izuku trailed off, thinking, "When you're Quirkless, this is going to sound weird, but in this superhuman world, being Quirkless makes you </span>
  <em>
    <span>different</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Everyone else is so defined by their power that not having one makes you stand out, a useless freak."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The point is, Momo," Izuku said, "that I'm used to people not liking me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hating</span>
  </em>
  <span> me for something I couldn't control. Don't tell anyone I wasn't the one to kill all the villains, let them hate me. I'm used to it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...That'd make me a poor hero, wouldn't it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Izuku blinked, lowering his bottle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Leaving you to suffer because of me would make me a poor hero," Momo elaborated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's the pragmatic thing to do," Izuku said, "I screwed up, you had to kill someone to defend yourself! Let me-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Izuku breathed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're," Momo hissed, "You're blaming yourself for that? You didn't play hero enough so I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>forced</span>
  </em>
  <span> to kill someone?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do it," Momo continued, "It was an accident! I- I shot at them with a beanbag round without thinking of where I was aiming and it just… just…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Killed them," Izuku finished with a sigh, finishing the drink and throwing it aside, "Do you want my help?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your Quirk doesn't give you understanding of the weapons you create, does it?" Izuku asked, standing up and drawing the Chiseki from the ground, "Best way to learn how not to kill someone by accident is through practice. A warm body that can't stay dead is a valuable resource to that, I offer mine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… You'd do that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It'd be his way of making it up to her, even if she didn't realize he needed to, "Yeah. Trust me, compared to the incident that lost me an arm, nothing you do would hurt. Create a weapon, we'll start there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or the dogs, beasts, flaming boulders, enraged Great Ones, Ludwig, Gascoigne. Man, Izuku really needed to stop reflecting on his deaths, it sent phantom pains through his </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Ejiro </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ejiro lowered his head, breathing in as he sat across from Hound Dog, finally saying, "I don't know what to do."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"About Midoriya?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Ejiro said, eyes jumping down to his hands, "I… I shouldn't let him take the rep for me, it's not manly, it's cowardly, but… I saw how people looked at him. I don't want to be treated like that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's understandable," Hound Dog nodded, chewing his tongue before sighing, "I… I really shouldn't be telling you this, but Midoriya does know he didn't kill them. He chose to make that claim to keep you safe. Well, not you exactly, but, he wouldn't think less of you for it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He… he did?" Ejiro said, "I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell you what?" Hound Dog said, "I'll call Midoriya and your parents and try to get permission for you to meet him here, if you want. So you can talk to him about it in a place where nobody who isn't already in the know has any chance of finding out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'd do that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's part of my job, kid," Hound Dog said, "I need to help you both recover from this, and if you think that will help, I'll do it. So you want it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Ejiro nodded, "Please, I… I need to talk to him about it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hound Dog nodded, before looking down at his notes, "You know that it wasn't your fault, right Kirishima? We should have canceled the USJ trip after the break-in instead of assuming it was the media, and you had to pay the price for that lapse in judgement."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But killing someone isn't manly," Ejiro said, weakly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nobody is saying it is," Hound Dog said, "but you weren't in a good situation. We were overconfident, we thought since nobody had attacked UA before now, they wouldn't, and you and Midoriya had to pay the price. We're to blame for that, not you, never you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That nickname they tried to saddle you with? "The killer class?" It could have been true, you could have each killed someone, and it still would have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>our </span>
  </em>
  <span>failure, as teachers and heroes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Momo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within minutes of accepting the offer to help her train, Momo regretted it. And the reason for that was simple.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even without using his mist teleportation, Midoriya was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fast</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Swings of her blunted long sword that should have hit head on instead cleaved through empty air as he dodged, or batted the blade aside with his sheathed o-katana… or was it an odachi?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn't really studied swords types. They were a useful weapon, don't get her wrong, but there was only so much time in the day and there was so much to learn. So long as she could create a sword, it didn't matter what it was, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She supposed that wasn't the question, when she was busy dodging the sheathed blade with everything she had. The better question was </span>
  <em>
    <span>how was this helping her not kill</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The first step to learning how to fight with a weapon," Midoriya lectured, dodging a strike before wrapping his hand around the hilt of his sword. The blade flashed out faster than Momo could follow, sliding up the length of her sword and batting it wide before Midoriya resheathed the sword and gently laid it next to her neck, "is learning how to use it to defend. You could have caught my blade with the hilt on that last move, throwing me off balance. Watch, try it to me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo lifted up the longsword, swinging it for Midoriya. The shorter teen drew his blade in a flash, letting Momo's slide along the back edge of the blade until it hit the guard, twisting it- and Momo's hands- and throwing the blade wide into the air where it clattered against the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see," Momo muttered, picking up the sword and turning to Midoriya, "Again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya cracked a smile, before rushing towards her and drawing his sword, slower and more methodically. Momo shifted, the blade sliding along her sword so she could catch it as advised and twist Midoriya's arms, finally dislodging the blade from his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya held out the sheath, looking ready to catch the blade with it… only for it to bounce off his arm instead, red immediately welling up and scabbing over before Midoriya grabbed the sword off the ground with a sigh, "That… wasn't what was supposed to happen. I need to get used to this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That wasn't the sword you used at the USJ?" Momo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, the blade vanishing into the mist as he dropped it, pulling out a meticulously cared for pocket watch, "...Classes are done soon." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jiro and Hagakure were in the weights room, last time I saw them," Momo offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not going with them today," Midoriya said, face flicking to something grim, "it's the night of the full moon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...So?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I go camping then," Midoriya said, pocketing the watch, "Gives me a better tracking of it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tracking-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean…" Midoriya coughed, "I like watching the moon, and it's easier to do out away from Tokyo, you know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That… That didn't seem honest, but she didn't know what to say to call him out on it without evidence he wasn't camping or watching the moon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Mirio X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio watched the student they had been asked to keep an eye on walk out of the building. Walking towards him and raising a hand, hearing Nejire walk behind him as Tamaki shuffled behind </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>, "This is a bad idea…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It'll be fine~!" Nejire said, practically floating. Midoriya was checking a pocket watch, face tight as he talked to a floating grill's uniform.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't have time to go out today, Hagakure," Midoriya said, "I'm sorry, I just don't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You don't have time for a bowl of raman?" A purple haired girl said, approaching as she pulled on her sneakers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, glancing up at the sky, "I really don't. I can go tomorrow, if you're free then, but today… today is a bad day. I'm really sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey~!" Mirio cheered, walking towards them. Midoriya looked up from the watch, snapping it shut and dropping it, where it vanished into miwt, "You're from 1-A, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Midoriya said, watching Mirio warily, "And you three are…?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm Togata Mirio," Mirio gestured to the other two, "and these are Hado Nejire and Amajiki Tamaki! We're from class 3-A."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Midoriya said, tapping his feet, "Listen… can this, can this wait till tomorrow? I'm in a rush today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everything alright?" Mirio said, reaching out to touch Midoriya's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep!" Midoriya said, glancing at the hand, "can you… uh… can you let go of me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure," Mirio said, "Heading home?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Midoriya nodded, gripping his backpack, "Maybe we could meet here tomorrow? I'm just busy today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio watched him, looking for any of the signs Sir had taught him that somebody was lying… and finding none of them. Midoriya did appear to just be busy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Mirio said, smiling at him, "I hope you get done with whatever's got you so worried quickly."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," the boy cracked a smile, nodding to the two girls, "Sorry…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he was gone, rushing off into the sunset. Mirio glanced at the girls, and said, "So… uh, how about the five of us go out for raman on me? You're both part of 1-A too, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It'd be good for UA to see the Big 3 with 1-A, make people less scared of the poor kids.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku picked his way through the field of garbage with one arm, checking the pocket watch made as a copy of the Astral Clocktower. Nobody else would have been able to understand what it said… nobody else needed to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes until Moonrise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was pushing it closer than he particularly cared to… but at least he was at the </span>
  <span>Bulwark</span>
  <span>sea. There wasn't any risk, he just needed to get under it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Breathing in, Izuku plunged down into the water, sinking to the bottom and swimming as far away from Mustafu as quickly as he could in those ten minutes before taking Chiseki from the Little Ones. Energy rose off the blade as Izuku span it in the water…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And lodged the blade through his chest and into the sediment. Air forced out of his lungs as water poured in, pale blood pouring out of the wound. The moon appeared higher in the sky than it should have been for a few moments, baleful green and far too large. Then, before his fading eyesight, it lightened to the right shade of yellow-white as the illusion took hold. Chiseki's secondary function took hold as claws scratched at the ground, and bound the body of the creature that had begun to transform in its sleep under the sea in place until the morning sun came, it's mind slipping gently into a Dream as it murmured inhuman words through a lamprey's mouth with teeth like sabers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Child of Flora, Returning to the Ocean. A Bottomless Curse, a Bottomless Sea. Accepting All That There is, and Can Be.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Chizome </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chizome gripped his blade tighter as he watched the news on the stolen phone before crushing it and standing up. So that's how far the corruption ran…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even UA, the school which was supposed to be training the next generation of true heroes under All Might, had been corrupted. Hopefully the cancer ran one class deep, so he could cut it easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12 + Midoriya Esoteric Text</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Izuku worked on Isshin with one arm, steadfastly ignoring the moon hanging low outside the window as he did. With the polymer frame, it would be possible to add new equipment to the arm… even if it took him the equivalent of a week to figure out how to do so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shuddered to think of what progress Archibald and Izzy would have made in their research into dark beasts if they had access to the Dream. Weeks of research could be completed in a day, if given the right urging…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku would probably have completed repairing the workshop and moved onto other projects if the Doll hadn't pushed him to leave the Dream more regularly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good Hunter," the Doll said gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mh?" Izuku asked, not looking up from the exposed back of the prosthetic. He needed to figure out how to fit the newest upgrade in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright?" She asked, sitting in the rocking chair Izuku had bought her and gently touching the stump of his arm. The Hunter looked up quietly, working his lip before turning his seat toward her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's something coming up at UA," Izuku said, "the Sport's Festival. And it's bugging me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why?" The Doll asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I used to watch it every year," Izuku said, "and wanted to be in it, but… I can't seem to get excited about it. I'm more worried about the class and keeping them safe."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because you are a Hunter," the Doll said, "and you can't view them as something to hunt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku fell silent, before shaking his head, "No… No, that's not it. It's because… I didn't finish those villains last time they came for the students, and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Beloved," the Doll said gently, causing Izuku to stop talking, "Are you not also a student at that school?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You said 'the students', as if you were not included amongst them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're not Hunters," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And they are not trying to be," the Doll said, "nor are you. You are trying to be Heroes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then what do I do?" Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If this Festival a large part of being a Hero," the Doll said, "then prepare yourself for it, enjoy it. Put aside your worries about the Villains who escaped, if they wish you harm then your prey will come to you. If they do not, then you will have time to hunt them when the chance comes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wish I could bring you to see it," Izuku said, drawing a smile and a hand on his cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't need to," the Doll said, "I know you will win it. I'll let you get back to your work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Izuku said, smiling at her, "for everything."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It is my job to assist you," the Doll said, "and that includes your mental health, Izuku."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mental health … why did that worry him? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Ryo X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ryo watched Midoriya sprawl across the couch with a growl of laughter, the teen having abandoned the red shoes he wore out of his hero costume as he planted his legs on the arm of the couch. Maybe he should buy a chaise longue for students who would find that more comfortable? Most of them weren't as… blunt, as Midoriya when it came to making it clear they preferred to sprawl out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is this fine?" Midoriya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If it makes you more comfortable," Ryo shrugged, "like I said last time, that's the most important thing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to feel comfortable, Midoriya. Especially with what I want to ask you about today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The deaths?" Midoriya said, immediately. This kid…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Ryo said, "I learned plenty about that last time, and we can talk about it more on some other day."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like whenever he got authorization, or a refusal of such, for having that group session. He'd probably learn a lot more about Midoriya's mentality if he had to directly talk to the two students he 'failed' than anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You told Power Loader that your mentor was named…" Ryo stopped, looking at the name. Oh, there was no way he wasn't going to accidentally butcher that without a pronunciation guide. Hell, he wasn't even sure the romaji was correct, "Gear-ah-man?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gehrman," Izuku said, then spelt it in romaji so Ryo could jot it down. He might not have been a linguist, but it wasn't exactly rocket science to put together the man in question either wasn't Japanese, or was a… hmm, what was the… whatever language that was (German, maybe?) equivalent of an anglophila.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Was that an assumed name?" Ryo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, shifting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then he was a Westerner?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He wasn't from Japan," Midoriya's response was measured, clipped… but also didn't explicitly confirm Gehrman's origin beyond not being native. Perhaps he didn't know himself? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you mind telling me about him?" Ryo asked, before sighing as Midoriya locked up, "It's alright to say no. You barely know me, and you haven't talked to anyone about this-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Midoriya said, shaking his head, "It's fine… I just… I haven't talked about him much since he died. I'm fine talking about it, what do you want to know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm assuming he's the one who taught you to fight?" Hound Dog asked. If that's what you called throwing a confused teen into a city of homicidal, xenophobic infectees with three days training on how to shoot a gun one handed and a whip-sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What was he like?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku lapsed into silence at that, Gehrman was… was…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was the seventh clash when Izuku realized what the woman reminded him of. It was an angel, beautiful, graceful .. and utterly lethal. That was clear from the moment he stepped into the clocktower each time. And this time was no different.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku managed to parry the first flurry of slashes and stabs, finally throwing her off balance. Swinging with the Chikage, she vanished in the familiar mist of Quickening. Less than a second later, she made her reappearance suddenly and without warning behind Izuku.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The next second, she had severed both his arms from his body at the shoulder. The sound of her weapon clicking together echoed and she ran it through his side, sending a spray of blood from his lips as he slid down onto his knees, blood pouring from his wounds.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I told you," she said, a voice both familiar and not, the softness carrying a steel in it that sent Izuku shivering, whispering in his ear before she planted a kiss on the corner of his lips rising up, "Your wild curiosity will only cause you pain, inquisitive hunter. Abandon it now."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Before Izuku could respond, to refuse the demand, the familiar noise of an Evelyn cocking came from behind him. He closed his eyes, the cold steel of the Cainhurst gun pressing against his brainstem barely registering before it went off, the tilted shot ripping through his brain and out the right eye.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku had time to watch her walk away as the mist overtook him again, his own blood dripping down her hand in a beautiful rain. He needed to talk to Gehrman…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Good Hunter," Izuku locked up as he reappeared in the Dream, newly reformed hands wrapping around his Evelyn and Chikage as he whipped around, wild eyed. He stopped, staring at the Doll with the blade resting on her porcelain neck. They looked… they looked so simil- No, they were </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>identical</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>, "What is wrong?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Where's Gehrman," Izuku rasped, nausea running through this body as he bodily threw the sword away from them, hands shaking. He had just, he had almost…"Where's Gehrman!?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"He's in the back, re-" Izuku didn't let her finish, climbing up the embankment and rushing towards Gehrman. The old man was seated in his wheelchair, head bowed, and whimpering.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Oh, Laurence… Master Willem... Somebody help me... Unshackle me please, anybody... I've had enough of this dream... The night blocks all sight... Oh, somebody, please... "</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku's hand stopped, lowering from where he was about to grab Gehrman by the shoulder and crouching next to him, touching his arm gently, "Sensei?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku took the rap of the cane without any protest, "Don't call me that, lad. What is it?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I… I'm ready to start the next dissection," Izuku said softly, "If you are."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Sad," Izuku said, "He was sad. And took on the responsibility for all his students."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like you do your classmates?" Hound Dog asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku didn't have an answer to that. He really couldn't… he wasn't becoming like Gehrman, was he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Hero Watch X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>■</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Welcome to the Hero Watch message boards.</b>
</p><p>
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  <span>MegaMight235</span>
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</ul><p>
  <span>■</span>
</p><p>
  <b>♦ Topic: UA Attack</b>
</p><p>
  <b>In: Boards ► Recent Events ► Kanto</b>
</p><p>
  <b>TsubameGaeshi </b>
  <span>(Original Poster)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Posted On Apr 4th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At around 10 AM JST (EDIT: a statement from UA says that contact cut off, and therefore the "USJ Incident", starting at 10:24) a group of criminals broke into UA's off site "Unseen Simulation Joint" facility, where a routine rescue training exercise involving Class 1-A was taking place. The group, current name unknown (EDIT; A statement by the police says that the leader, one "Tomura Shigaraki" recruited the captured criminals under the name "the League of Villains") , consisted of 77 criminals attacked the students with the intent to use them as bait to lure All Might out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Link} UA's statement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Link} Mustafu Police statement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Related Articles: {Link} UA to press charges over news sites and channels using a villain's Quirk to circumvent defenses around the main building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Link} UA to continue Sport's Festival as expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>(Showing page 45 of 71)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>►Deadman </b>
  <span>(Pro Hero: Corpse Brigade)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I'm still not sure them doing the Sports Festival is the right thing to do. They just had a break in on the grounds, and then an outright attack on their students, and they're just gonna let hundreds of people onto the grounds? That seems like a recipe for disaster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>@Shotgun_Shogun: They're students, cut them some slack.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►Shotgun_Shogun</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@ Deadman: They killed people, how can we be sure they aren't gonna do the same the minute they get their licence?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►Deadman (</b>
  <span>Pro Hero: Corpse Brigade)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@Shotgun_Shogun: I'm not arguing with you about this. They just started training, think before you start screaming about how we're gonna have a generation of killer Heroes. They might have acted under duress, or even if they did it on purpose, they might join a team like us.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►Wolffang</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@ Deadman: Not saying he's right, but you ARE arguing with him about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►reaverraptor</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>away from the morality debate derail (again) i gotta wonder what ua was doing. shouldn't they have caught this before it happened? do they not have alarms for if they suddenly lose contact with an off site location like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►TsubameGaeshi </b>
  <span>(Original Poster)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@reaverraptor: UA says they missed the first sign because of the news breaking in, which seems to be where the "League" got a copy of All Might's schedule. That's part of the reason they're leveling charges.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►reaverraptor</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>and why wasn't all might there? the villains would've been down in minutes if he was there from the beginning.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►Mr. Brave </b>
  <span>(Pro Hero)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@reaverraptor: Maybe he was needed at a rescue or something? He's still the Number One Hero after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►TsubameGaeshi </b>
  <span>(Original Poster)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th 2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We'll have to wait till he gives a press statement or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>►MegaMight235</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 7th2XXX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>@Shotgun_Shogun {EDITED BY MOD: We understand that the experience was unpleasant for those involved, but that doesn't mean you can get away with insulting them like that}</span>
</p><p>
  <b>End of Page.   </b>
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  <b>43</b>
  <b>, </b>
  <b>44</b>
  <b>, 45, </b>
  <b>46</b>
  <b>, </b>
  <b>47</b>
  <b> ... </b>
  <b>69</b>
  <b>, </b>
  <b>70</b>
  <b>, </b>
  <b>71</b>
</p><p>
  <span>■</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Momo X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Again," Momo panted as Midoriya said that, grabbing the spear from the ground and pushing up. She had come to the conclusion that, given her rudimentary skill with a bo staff, something like this was better. And, to some extent, it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The problem was that Midoriya Izuku seemed to be preternaturally skilled with his blade. That wasn't to say she hadn't landed blows on him, she had smashed the weighted end of the weapon into his skull several times and slashed him across his chest as many times… but the fact that Midoriya had yet to draw the blade from its sheath gave her the distinct feeling he was holding back… a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rushing towards him, Momo swung the spear, only to reverse as Izuku moved to block it, the metal haft coming for his nose. Midoriya was nonplussed, dodging the attack and lashing out. Momo twirled the spear, batting the attack aside before stabbing her weapon into the joint of Midoriya's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya grabbed the weapon, ripped it from the wound with a grunt, before grabbing a small bottle from the mist and downed it as blood poured down from his shoulder, "Bad spot, you pierced the subclavian artery."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then what's a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good spot</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Momo asked with a sigh, "every spot is ba- is that the point of this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you trying to make me realize that anywhere I stab has the potential to be dangerous?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… uh…" Midoriya rubbed the back of his head, his muscles rippling as he did so. Momo had to admit, outside of the horrific mess that was his left arm (and it was really, really hard to ignore that given how bad it was. She was still left wondering what could cause that much damage), he was rather strange, appearing to have lithe, toned musculature… but a worrying, borderline unhealthy lack of fat. Personality wise, he was even stranger, he seemed distant, only half there at any given time and there had been times Momo had caught him staring into thin air before chuckling to himself, "I… hadn't meant for it to be that, but basically… yeah. Don't use a bladed weapon unless you're fighting someone who can regenerate, you know how to hold back the slash so it doesn't cut deep enough to sever an artery or you're aiming to kill. I guess that's all there is to it…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not very good at this teaching thing, are you?" Momo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm new to it," Midoriya said, "Do you mind going to practice on your own? I want to get a bit of practice in for the Festival myself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo nodded, standing up and turning… to see a head poking through the wall. She gave a startled yelp, jumping back. Midoriya drew his sword with a sharp rasp as the blade ran against the collar of the scabbard and span, immediately preparing to attack.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" The face said, "Just wanted to remind you that we were supposed to hang out after school, Midoriya! See you then."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya nodded, not losing his grip on the weapon until they were both sure the face was gone, at which point he sheathed it carefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who was that?" Momo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have no idea," Midoriya said bluntly, "but apparently I'm hanging out with him after school." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Katsuki X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki watched Deku walk out of the school, towards his friends and several upperclassmen. He wanted to call out, to say something… but he didn't know what to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sorry for the years of bullying? That he hoped Dek- Izuku hadn't killed those people because of it? That-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki shook his head, thumping it against the wall with a sigh. He had no idea, whatsoever, to say to his one time friend. Their relationship had for the last decade had been framed around Katsuki's superiority, and Deku being worthless. How did you break from that? Could you break from that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And even if Katsuki talked to Izuku about it, would Izuku even say anything? Katsuki wanted to think he had the roght to know, to demand answers… but he wasn't so stubborn to realize that Deku had been keeping secrets from everyone, and there was a likely chance that he'd refuse to tell Katsuki anything before leaving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who could he talk to about this? Auntie Inko? The Hag? His Dad? He… He didn't even begin to know where to start. Or if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> start. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fuck it, he'd figure this out at home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So," Izuku's head turned towards the blue haired girl idly floating next to him, "What happened to your arm?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku couldn't help the chuckle that came out as the black haired boy walking behind them all said, "Nejire, that's probably really personal…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, yeah…" Nejire said, like the idea hadn't dawned on her, "Nevermind, you don't have to answer that!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Good thing, I wasn't going to anyways," Izuku cracked a small smile, that immediately faded, "Why are you doing this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone fell silent as they stopped in the mall, the blond one, Togata, turning towards him, "What'd ya mean, Midoriya?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not normal for three upperclassmen to approach their junior out of nowhere to 'hang out'," Izuku said. At least, he didn't think it was… it wasn't like </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> had wanted to hang out with the Quirkless kid in middle school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don'tcha think that's a bit much, Midoriya?" Jiro asked, "They-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're really observant when you want to be, aren't you?" Togata chuckled, "Come on, let's go find a restaurant or somewhere to sit down and talk. Alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Izuku said, nodding slowly, his guard rising as he discretely gestured for the Little Ones to put away the weapons. There was nothing to make him think this was going to turn violent yet, even if there was an ulterior motive to their invitation. They were still students at UA, they still wanted to be Heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And while with Hunters, it was best to keep one hand on your weapon when you met (they were too eclectic a group, now, at the end of Yharnam. Too many workshops, too many opinions. Did they just butcher the beasts or study them? Were the arcane means heresy or not? What about advanced powder weaponry?), it wasn't supposed to be like that with Heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Mirio </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio watched Midoriya carefully, Sir's lessons coming to the forefront. Read the person's body language first and foremost, then their face, then their </span>
  <em>
    <span>eyes</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that alone was worrying, because each of those gave different readings on Midoriya. His body language made him look bored, reluctant even, as he sat at the table, his face was calm, serene even, with a small smile… and his eyes were hard as steel, watching them warely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So," Midoriya said, "What's this all about?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We… were asked to check in on you," Mirio said, "Principal Nezu was worried that-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was a threat?" Midoriya asked, lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That you were going to be ostracized," Mirio said, "from both your class and the school. We're really well respected, so he was hoping that if people saw us with you-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-I wouldn't be ostracized?" Midoriya finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Exactly," Mirio said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya hummed, tapping his fingers, "I see…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X ---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So begins the Cape and the Cowl's meeting. We'll see them interact some more at the start of the next chapter, before we move into the Sports Festival.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In unrelated news, the first chapter of The Tale of the Viridescent Dragoon has been released.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Midoriya Esoteric Text X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>they are better in the hands of one who has undergone a harsh childhood or studied the arcane.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tendon Splitter: The first 'technique' Izuku invented, if it can be called that, was created facing a Beast that had once been a Cleric of the Healing Church. Using his smaller frame to his advantage, Midoriya dodged around the Beast and severed the tendons of its legs. A move as crude as it is effective against large foes, and one that served him well in his journey through Yharnam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flash: an Iaijutsu originally performed with the silvered longsword of a kirkhammer, replaced with the Chikage when he was gifted it by the Blood Queen of Cainhurst. Originally used during his fight with Father Gascoigne, Izuku eventually took to Quickening the attack to literally disarm Hunters of their gun at the start of a duel, giving him the advantage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mist Blade: Shattering a vial of Cainhurst's Numbing Mist on his sword to negate the healing of a foe, Izuku invented this technique to kill Vicar Amelia, but it negated his own regeneration tok. For this reason, he eventually retired it after receiving the recipe for the mist and inventing Cainhurst rounds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Executioner's Blast: the first technique to truly use arcane means, Izuku uses the gloves of a Cainhurst executioner to create a skull before detonating it in an explosion of fire. One of twin techniques invented during his fight with Logarius of the Executioners.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Headsman's Reaper: A ghostly replica of the sword used by the Headsman of Cainhurst appears in Izuku's hands for a moment, bringing it down on the neck of a beast to decapitate it in one fell swoop, trapping the spirit within the gloves of the Headsman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Living Force: a technique originally invented by watching the Shadows of Yharnam, Izuku would coat the Chikage with oil and then use the Flamesprayer to ignite it. After battling Lady Maria, he discovered how to use his own blood to ignite the blade. They only became more dangerous, and more unforgiving, in his current state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meteor Strike: the last of the normal techniques Izuku invented. Firing the Blacksky Eye, Izuku immediately followed it up with a lunge towards his opponent, grabbed them by the neck, he fires a second meteor while driving in the stake driver before throwing them over his head and slamming them into the ground and stabbing down with his sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In addition, there are five techniques that are unique to Izuku alone, whether through requiring the hysterical strength the Old Echoes give him, or for more strange reasons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dragon Flash: An Evolution of the Flash technique, and one of the two techniques where the right handed Izuku uses his left hand. The sheer strength of the slash sends a vacuum of wind ripping through the air, giving Izuku some range.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One Mind: The other Iaijutsu Izuku invented, and the other requiring the use of his left hand. A blurring hurricane of slashes to clear an area around Izuku, using the same strength as Dragon Flash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Storm Ruler: Legend amongst the Healing Church says that Kin, those one step below the Great Ones, are incredibly susceptible to the effects of lightning. The clouds act as a bulwark against those kin who think they are deserving of Ascension.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It is therefore unknown why a human is able to summon that which the Great Ones use to rebuke those who think they can ascend further than they can.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>???????? ???: ?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>???????: ?</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nejire watched the stare down between Mirio and Midoriya, her hair starting to stand on end. Around one finger, under the table, she span a small spiral of energy, a way to release tension from when she was a kid. And tension was all there was at the moment, think enough to drown someone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People thought Nejire was a bit of an air cadet, she knew that. She jumped from one topic to another too easily, when it came to Quirks. Barely got the answer to one question before she moved on to another. But the truth was that they interested her, she wanted to know about them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And of the Big Three, her grades were consistently the highest. Oh, Tamaki was smarter than her on a pure IQ level, that was another thing she knew for sure, but his self esteem issues often saw him fail to finish his assignments before classes ended. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya's eyes were slowly becoming flecked with yellow, staining his kind eyes with a feral edge as his pupil dilated. An adrenaline rush, was he expecting a fight?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Nejire said, tilting her head, "do your eyes change like that because of your Quirk?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And just like that the tension shattered, the stare down ended as Midoriya's eyes snapped over to her in confusion. The bleeding of yellow physically paused, leaving them a stunning kaleidoscope of the two colors. And then Midoriya nodded, before looking back to Mirio, "So, now that we're here, what do we do?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever you want," Mirio said, shrugging, "Arcade, Karaoke… you make the pick-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya nodded gently, before speaking, "Then let's head back to UA. I want to spar."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya-!" the purple haired girl started.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nejire felt the tension skyrocket again, though Midoriya was completely relaxed, he just shrugged, "In my experience, you can learn a lot about someone by having them fight you. More than you can in any other way. So let's go back to UA and get to know each other, Togata."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure-" Mirio stopped, before nodding, "alright."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good," Midoriya cracked a smile at Mirio, a gentle thing, "I look forward to getting to know you, Togata."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same," Mirio said, smiling back as the tension bled from the room. These two…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nejire caught Tamaki's eye, for once, and they both nodded. If this got out of hand, they were gonna have to step in. The kid didn't realize who he was about to fight…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Mirio X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio stretched in his costume, watching Midoriya as they stood in the training room. Midoriya was clearly watching him, neck cracking as he did, "Ready?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Midoriya said, "Let's go." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright then," Mirio said, and then charged forward, a fist angled for Midoriya's gut. He'd keep his Quirk use to a minimum at the start, it'd be fairer, and give Midoriya more time to get to know him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milliseconds before Mirio's fist hit home, Midoriya stepped out of the way of his attack in the exact same flowing way as Sir. He wasn't a precog, from what Mirio knew, so he must just have had a lot of practice dodging telegraphed attacks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio slid low, dodging Midoriya's fist to the head before swinging his leg out in a sweep, knocking Midoriya's feet out from under him… and causing Midoriya to vault backwards, standing further away from Mirio.  Mirio quickly rose, staring at Midoriya, "Wanna take it up a notch?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Midoriya said, before stomping suddenly, the ground cracking as he grabbed a spear from the mist around him, pointing it at Mirio without hesitation and pulling a trigger on the end. Mirio quickly turned his upper chest intangible as the shot flew through him, doing the same seconds later when Midoriya threw the spear at him like a javelin, "Yes!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right them," Mirio said, before charging forward, turning entirely intangible and plummeting through the earth, blackness and pure silence surrounding him as he let his momentum carry him forward. Deactivating Permeation, Mirio launched himself up…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only to immediately reactivate it as a sheathed sword came swinging for his head, letting it pass through his entire body before deactivating his Quirk. Spinning in the air from the momentum, Midoriya swung his fist at Midoriya's face, grinning as the boy tried to block it and phased his arm through Midoriya's weapon and cracking home with a heavy hit that sent the other boy sliding back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So his Quirk let's him phase through objects," Midoriya said, "and he can activate it for different parts of is body… interesting … very interesting."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio felt a shiver crawl up his spine at the detached way Midoriya said it, more to himself than Mirio or their assembled friends. Clinical, calm, like he was dissecting Mirio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Midoriya was on top of Mirio in a flash, blade swinging for the older teen nearly too fast for Mirio to react, just barely Permeating his body each time an attack came towards him. And Midoriya was speeding up, arm a blur of motion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio swung his fingers for Midoriya's yellow eyes, hoping to force the teen to flinch so he could get the initiative, and when Midoriya let the fingers phase through without a flinch, Mirio plunged himself into darkness and disappeared under the ground again before exploding out behind Midoriya in a hurricane kick that Midoriya dodged, sheathing his sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both of them were still for a moment, before the rasp of metal on metal warned Mirio of the incoming attack and he Permeated. And at the same time, he began to realize what Midoriya meant about the fight letting them learn about each other. Not on the clinical level of Sir, but personally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Mirio was rapidly coming to realize that if there was one word that could summarise Midoriya Izuku, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Paradox</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His attacks were surgical yet frenzied, full of finesse yet savage. Strong enough to rip into the concrete of the training room as they missed but fast enough that Mirio was forced to Permeate his whole body again to dodge the attacks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And on some instinctive level, Mirio knew that summarized Izuku better than any amount of fishing for information would get him, the pieces clicking together in his head. Izuku was a paradox, on every level of being.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was aloof, only associating with a few of his classmates, but willing to kill for them all. He was constantly sleeping but full of energy. And he was enjoying this fight more than anything that had happened since he got to UA, if the small, serene, faint smile on his face was any indication.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, the best thing Mirio could do was give him what he wanted on that one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was one word that embodied Togata Mirio, his very being burned down to a single word, it was </span>
  <span>Determined</span>
  <span>. To be able to use his Quirk so localized to get through guards, and to activate it at the first sign of danger must have taken more training than Izuku could easily gauge. It left Izuku slightly ashamed at the cheat that was Blood Echoes, even with the techniques he had invented, he couldn't have had worked as hard as Mirio (especially since less than a handful of them weren't just off the cuff moves he had come up with in the heat of battle) had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's brain wracked as he watched Mirio vanish from sight again, light no longer touching the older teen as he activated his Quirk. This wasn't like the Amygdala, or Hagakure, who warped light around them. Light passed through Mirio, turning him truly invisible before he plunged into the ground. Eyes jumped, waiting for any sign of where reality would right itself before it did so behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without moving his head, or giving any other sign he had seen the attack coming, Izuku sidestepped the punch coming for his back, grabbed Mirio by the front of his armor and swung him high into the air before bringing him down head first. As expected, Mirio vanished just before he hit the ground, phasing through it as Izuku stood still again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Mirio came erupting from the ground in a parabola using the speed from reversing the throw to send his leg swinging for Izuku's skull. Izuku ducked, letting it fly over, only for his head to jerk down as Mirio changed his trajectory into an axe kick in mid air. He was taking this seriously, it was too bad Izuku couldn't give him the same courtesy. Not without risking killing the other teen. Still, going a bit further couldn't hurt…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throwing the foot off him, Izuku grabbed Chiseki by the hilt, drawing it from the sheath in a rasp of metal on metal and a flash of red-black wootz. The slash that should have split Mirio from stem to stern instead passed through empty air, but Izuku just stomped the ground, the concrete cracking as he did so and flying into the air. Izuku swung Chiseki in a wide arc as Mirio came up, forcing the rubble forward as a primitive buck shot. Mirio phased through it, and Izuku charged forward, grabbing Mirio the moment he reappeared and smashing him into the ground before he had time to rephase himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio did so immediately after, coming up in a mule kick nearly too fast for Izuku to dodge. If he hadn't fought Maria, the Bloody Crow and Gehrman, it likely would have been. Instead Izuku rolled to the side, pulling his sword back and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Togata! Midoriya!" Izuku stopped, eyes jumping to where Aizawa was walking into the room, "I think you've sparred long enough. The teachers are going home, I came to make sure everyone was out after Snipe caught you on the security feed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stood, sheathing Chiseki and dropping it into the mist, nodding, "Yeah… I… I got what I wanted."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're pretty good," Mirio said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Izuku said, smiling, "You're not half bad yourself, Mirio."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mirio chuckled, throwing his arm around Izuku's shoulder, "Now how about we actually go to an arcade or karaoke place?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku glanced at the four wide eyed faces, before nodding, "Sure. You pick, since I chose this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds good, Izuku."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And Midoriya," Izuku stopped, turning towards Aizawa, "I forgot to mention it in class, but as the highest ranking first year in the Entrance Exam, you're expected to give a small speech for the student pledge."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Up until that point, Izuku had been firmly convinced he was incapable of feeling fear anymore. He had died too many times, experienced too many horrors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But with those words, Izuku felt like he had been plunged into a pool of ice water. Oh, no… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Doll </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doll watched Izuku move through the motions carefully as he returned to the Dream that night, going out back and beginning the process of preparing new weapons, and maintaining old ones. Whetstones, oils and cloths were spread out before him, weapons offered by the Messengers. First, he took the holy blade, drawing the longsword from its greatsword sheath and dampened a rag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was, the Doll knew, perhaps the closest thing her Izuku had to a religious act. Maintaining weapons he hadn't used in months, or ever, to clear his mind. To prepare for a fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tomorrow is the day?" The Doll asked gently, watching Izuku from her garden, the lumenflowers turning towards him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Izuku said, voice low and guttural, eyes glowing red as he put aside the holy sword and picked up the Burial Blade, grabbing the whetstone as he did and running it down the blade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then for me," The Doll said, gently picking up a red cloth and wrapping it around his arm, "Win, my Good Hunter. Prove your worth to the Waking World, as they are blind to what I can see in you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku gave a rumbling noise and nodded before moving on to the Rakuyo, pausing, "how far should I go, tomorrow?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As far as you need to go to prove your worth," the Doll advised, "win, Izuku Midoriya. Show them why you are the Greatest Hunter, why you stand as the owner of the Dream and forger of weapons. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Prove your worth</span>
  </em>
  <span>, for me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How can I refuse," Izuku said with a smile, looking up at her, "When you ask me to. At the end of this long night, I will win for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Shinsou </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shinsou watched 1-A and 1-B step out into the arena before his class was called, clenching his fist as he saw the green haired boy hunched over, a red cloth wrapped around his left arm over the UA sports uniform. He had never gotten his declaration of war out because of him, but it didn't matter, he would show that he deserved to be in the Hero Course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The test hadn't been fair, it had left him standing there hopeless as robots beared down on him. It made him look like he needed to be rescued because his Quirk was useless against robots. But Midoriya was a literal </span>
  <em>
    <span>killer</span>
  </em>
  <span> and because his quirk was flashy he got into the Hero Course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shinsou glared at the back of his head as Midoriya took the stand next to Midnight, fists clenching. And then Midoriya began to speak, not in the guttural voice he had in the hall  but a soft one, "I'm not one for speeches, so I'll just say this. If you're here today, you obviously passed the entrance exam for one of the most prestigious schools in Japan. You put it all on the line and made it. So do it again today, no matter what course you're in, live up to our school's motto. Go Beyond, even if you're out of shape, do your very best. That way, whoever has won when the dust settles can say they won against everyone trying their best. Good luck, and I hope to see you in the finals."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya turned, walking away from the microphone and rejoining his class, the tension skyrocketing. It hadn't been directly said, but in its own way, Midoriya had just declared war on them all in one move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X---</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not sure if I did it, but I was trying to show Izuku's analytic side in this chapter, in preparation for the tournament. That's why he gets better over the course of his spar with Mirio.</p><p>Other than that, a certain scene from this chapter (one involving Inko and a recording device) got pushed back. And yes, that is going to be important (so important she's gonna be with the Bakugos so I don't need to cut to her reacting on her own) since this is her first sight of Izuku being… well, himself.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I went crazy writing this. Lived up to my pseudonym completely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first contest was to be a four kilometer long obstacle course around the outside of the arena. In spite of his promise to the Doll, Izuku couldn't help but feel the spike of pity for the other contestants as he took his place at the starting line. He'd made longer runs during his time in Yharnam, often while fighting Beasts, mobs and worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This wasn't even close to fair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as the buzzer went off, Izuku rushed forward, weaving through the tightly packed crowd with supernatural speed and grace, elbows brushing over the top of his head and near his cheat. And then, because if you weren't resorting to dirty tactics, you just weren't willing to win, he span as he came out of the crowd, sweeping the feet out from under the front runner and shoulder checking them into the mosh pit he had just burst from. Ice began to crawl up his shoulder as the right hand brushed across him, more ice streaking towards him from the heel of Todoroki Shoto. Izuku grimaced, adrenaline roaring through his veins as he yanked his leg from the ice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blood splattered from the torn skin, and Izuku silently and unflinchingly willed the blood that spilled to ignite even as a vial burst from the mists. Injecting himself so his blood would clot, he finished his spin and charged forward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Is that legal?</b>
  <span>" Present Mic asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"He used his Quirk to get it,"</b>
  <span> Aizawa said, "</span>
  <b>So yes</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's senses, sharped after countless ambushes across Yharnam, buildings smashed open for Beasts and mobs ready to kill him, screamed at him. He Quickened his body, taking a loping dodge. A net sailed passed his hand, the bollas connected to the four corners causing explosions of dust. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku glanced back at Momo, quirking a small smile at her as she rocketed forwards on an extended pole, Todoroki flying forward on a pillar of ice while Kacchan rocketed forwards, red eyes burning with anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who Did You Think You Were Declaring War On, Deku!?" Kacchan demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>War? When had he declared war? It wasn't something any Hunter worth the name would never do, because that implied the prey had a chance to gain ground against you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A Hunt that had become a war implied you had failed…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Momo X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo dropped the launcher as Midoriya, Izuku, dodged the net. He gave her a small smile, before turning and continuing towards… were those robots!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya leapt into the air as one of the larger ones swung a fist for him. He landed on it, digging his fingers in as the robot swept the arm up before kicking off and </span>
  <em>
    <span>flying</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ok, it wasn't actually flight, it wasn't even gliding… but he was sailing forwards even as, below her, Iida rushed around the robots, engines humming as he went. He was starting to catch up with Bakugo, and from there it'd probably be a matter of time before he reached Izuku…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo bit her lip, before creating something in her left hand and pulling the pin with her thumb, dropping it and creating a pair of earmuffs around her head. She wasn't going to get first place, or second, or maybe even third… but she could sure as hell make sure she got fourth. Even if this was more than a bit dirty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*</span>
  <b>
    <em>BANG</em>
  </b>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eyes locked ahead, Momo watched each of the people she was trying to catch up with react to the flashbang. And react they did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iida tripped over his own feet, eyes jumping. Bakugo grit his teeth and landed, huffing for a few seconds before shaking his head and forcing himself up. And Izuku?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku failed his landing completely, smashing shoulder first into the ground and rolling to a stop, forcing himself to his knees and vomiting up red and yellow liquids. He staggered up as Momo approached him, grinning up at her as she approached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then she was recognizing a familiar shift in his stance, and it was all she could do to create a staff to block the strike from his sheathed sword, throwing her towards the end of the ring. Izuku's neck jumped, before Iida and Bakugo approached them, Todoroki right behind, and he turned and began to run, determined to stay ahead. Momo tightened her lips and did the same as she glanced at the pack making their way past the robots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka looked up at the offered arm from Hagakure, reaching up to grab it as she reached up to touch her ears. No blood, at least, so thank goodness for that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Friggin' Yaomomo had been spending too much time around Izuku, she swore, his insanity was infectious or something. Next thing you knew, she'd be swinging around swords and shooting guns in training exercises and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka shook her head, continuing forwards and around the robots that were already eliminated by the other members of 1-A. She just needed to stay with the class, and she'd move onto the next round. She wasn't useless without her support gear, but if she could conserve energy for rounds two and three while everyone else was burning it like no tomorrow, she'd be more likely to win.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka glanced over at the group of four students carrying a purple haired teen who looked like he was about to keel over. Why even bother to try to win when you looked like that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"C'mon," Kyoka said to Hagakure, hurrying on, "Let's get going…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Hizashi X</b>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hizashi hesitated before performing the cardinal sin of commentating, turning off his and Shouta's mic and turned towards his best friend, "So… your class this year is pretty crazy, huh?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta just inclined his head, watching the race on the monitors. The first round wasn't normally this violent. Oh, sure, you got broken bones, fistfights and minor bursts of Quirks. But flashbangs? Swords? An attempt to freeze the other competitors solid?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And if you look at that folks!" Hisashi called, turning on his mic, "The front runners have </span>
  <em>
    <span>torn </span>
  </em>
  <span>through the Robot Inferno and are approaching "The Fall"! They're gonna have to be careful though, because one wrong move will see them plummeting into the cushions below. If you hit them, it counts as leaving the track!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Shoto </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto slid along one rope, an eye on the other front runners. Midoriya was tearing across the ropes with ease, holding his arms out to stabilize himself as he raced along. With one leg, Shoto sent a spike of ice at the green haired boy. Eyes the same color flicked towards it, and Midoriya dropped, wrapping his fake hand around the rope and using the centrifugal force to carry him passed the spike and back onto the rope, slowing to get his footing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three more spikes flew for Midoriya while he was off balance. Midoriya gritted his teeth… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And kicked right off the rope he was on, grabbing another rope with both hands and forcing himself back up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>The Competition From 1-A For First Place Is Just </b>
  <b>
    <em>Vicious</em>
  </b>
  <b> Folks</b>
  <span>!" Present Mic yelled, and Shoto glanced around, "</span>
  <b>For Those Of You Who Don't Know Them, We've Got Todoroki Shoto, Son of Endeavor! Yaoyorozu Momo, Daughter Of The Yaoyorozu Hero Family! Iida Tenya, Son Of The Iida Family and Brother to Ingenium! Midoriya Izuku, The Quiet Darkhorse With the Highest Entry Score This Year! And Bakugo Katsuki, Who Has The Second Highest Score! They're Ripping Up The Track And Determined To Place First! But They Better Watch Out, Because Not Only Are Their Classmates in 1-A Starting to Catch Up, We Have Three Members Of 1-B Out Of The Frying Pan!"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto took a moment to glance back, watching a boy with exposed teeth who seemed vaguely familiar, a short purple boy with a mohawk bouncing on purple orbs coming from his head, and a girl with green vines in her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>It's Honenuki Juzo, Don't Let His Looks Confuse You, He's One Of The Four Recommendations Students. Then We've Got Mineta Minoru And Shiozaki Ibara!"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Ibara </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara watched the boy holding a sword finish rushing across a rope, turning and- in the time it took her to blink, the rope he had used was severed, falling into the pit with Mineta clinging to it. That was… that had to be cheating!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midnight-Sensei!" Ibara said as Mineta crawled back up to the top of the rope. Midoriya didn't so much as glance back, continuing onto the next rope and rushing forwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The rules were clear, Shiozaki," Midnight said, "So long as you don't leave the course, anything goes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But… but it was so… sk underhanded!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You!" Mineta leapt into the air, throwing a ball at Midoriya with a pitch that still shocked Ibara. Another flash of movement, and the ball split in two, falling into the pit as Midoriya began to run across the ropes. Ibara created a bridge of vines between her and the place where Midoriya had been standing, offering a hand to Mineta.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come," she said, "We can't let him get away with something so underhanded."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shiozaki..." Mineta said, before nodding, "Yeah, let's go!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where were the other members of her class? Only Juzo, Mineta and her were nearby, and she knew they were better than this-!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could finish that thought, a pink skinned girl slid passed them and onto the bridge she had made, waving, "Thanks for the help~!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That-! That was completely underhanded!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know," a black haired boy with tape dispensers in his arms called as he landed and began running on the bridge, "if you're just gonna give us all a way across the gap, we'll take it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They- </span>
  <em>
    <span>They</span>
  </em>
  <span>-!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," a purple haired boy being carried by a group of students said. Pursuing her lips, Ibara rushed forwards, not going to let anyone else take advantage of her bridge before her. Did nobody care about a fair competition?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Mitsuki X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mitsuki watched the race, working her jaw as she paced around the living room. The snacks she had bought for the party were all but forgotten as everyone watched the vicious race for first place between Izuku, Katsuki and the children of three known Pros.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was vicious. She was pretty sure that in any other competition, the only ones who wouldn't have already been disqualified were the Iida and Katsu-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Die</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Katsuki howled, falling towards Izuku with a hand burning red. Izuku dropped the sword he was using, dodging to the side of the attack and wrapping one hand around Katsuki's wrist and the other around the scruff of his sport's uniform… and threw him toward Todoroki. For a second, one of the drones got a good look at Izuku's face, jaw set and eyes steely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nevermind, it was just Iida now, who was continued across the ropes as the vicious war happened behind him. Izuku's green eyes flickered towards him, and for a second his thumb caressed the place where guard met sheath. Inko's breath caught in front of the screen, and Mitsuki planted a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What the hell had happened to the kid? He was acting like-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku's blade lashed out, not at the rope Iida was running across, but through the purple ball thrown at him by the short boy who had seemed to have pegged him as his mortal enemy. Izuku's eyes jumped towards him, before he rushed forwards, sliding along the rope and dodging the attacks from Katsuki and Todoroki by a hair's breadth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's going to win," Inko said, voice without any doubt, "Or at least take second place."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was one person Izuku felt was the greatest threat to coming in first at the moment, it was Iida Tenya. Unlike many of the other competitors, Izuku included, the blue haired boy had been focused solely on getting past the obstacles and not involving himself the the scuffles across the race. He had stayed beneath notice, and was likely to place first if Izuku didn't stop playing around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a long moment, Izuku began to draw Chiseki to sever the rope Iida was on, only to abort it and split another ball thrown at him in two. Rushing onto the rope in front of him as more people reached the Fall, Izuku met Iida's eyes for a moment. There was a familiar determination in them, blazing. And Izuku silently sheathed his blade, clearing the Fall seconds behind Iida as Kacchan, Momo and Todoroki were on their heels like hounds out of hell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku Quickened himself, launching into a dead sprint at the same time as Iida. This was going to be a matter of distance, if it wasn't long enough that his Quickening stopped, he'd win, otherwise, Iida would overtake hi-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*Click*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, they had planted landmines. Of course they had planted landmines. Why wouldn't they have planted landmines? It wasn't an obstacle course without obstacles, and how did you make something more impressive than robots and pitfalls?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You added landmines to the final stretch of course. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of those thoughts launched through Izuku's head at a million miles an hour, all in the amount of time it took for the mine he was standing to go off with an explosion of pink dust and paint, sending Izuku flying back towards the Fall. Izuku deployed the hidden blade in Isshin, stopping his flight and standing up. All five of the front runners shared a look, Izuku met Kacchan's eyes without flinching… and then each took off in their own way, determined to be the first across the finish line and passed the mines.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions and opinions? I doubt this chapter warranted it, but I still dream of getting this a TV Tropes page.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know this isn’t the best, but I wanted to get this out so I could relax and work on something else.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Izuku X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku raised Isshin, eyes raking across the mindfield in front of him. It was meant to delay people in the lead, give those behind them a chance to catch up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In their dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Red energy rising off his index finger, Izuku subtly drew a skewed cross in the air, going down and creating a spiral off it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Little Ones. Guidance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Across the field, mist rose and the Little Ones popped up, deformed arms waving towards Izuku. Izuku glanced around, then took off, foot landing between two mines and continuing onwards. The others took a moment to gasp, then took off after him in their own ways. Ice spread from Todoroki's foot, Iida ran as fast as he could, refusing to stagger as explosions went off behind him and Katsuki launched himself forward with a set of explosions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Might as well try out that move he had been working on. It'd be fun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flow…</span>
  <span> Izuku's voice rasped and rumbled at the same time as he span, eyes narrowing and he reeled back his right hand, preparing himself. Adrenaline and more flashed through his arm as blood warped and moved through valves the wrong way. Veins and arteries ruptured, red energy burning into existence, a variant of the Cainhurst magic, </span>
  <span>Burst</span>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A single blast of red energy smashed into the ground in front of Katsuki, detonating the mines and finally staggering him. Finishing the spin, Izuku continued forward, hand hanging limply. Muscles had liquified, torn themselves to pieces and from the bone. That technique still wasn't ready. Not at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a second of turning off the limits the body naturally had and then overclock it far beyond what it could handle and stay human, he had crippled his arm until he had time to use a vial. He would have to be careful, he couldn't risk it again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pain though, it was enough for him to focus, it made his senses sharper. When he was physically weaker, that's when ambushes became more likely. He was alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko watched Izuku be blasted back by a mine, hands covering her mouth. A blade exploded from his left arm, digging into the dirt and breaking his skid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>That Was Close</b>
  <span>!" Present Mic called, "</span>
  <b>But How-!? What the heck</b>
  <span>!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A strange grunt came from Izuku's mouth, and then static and mist exploded into existence on the ground around the minefield. Izuku took a moment to watch them with green eyes rapidly turning gold, before launching across the field without hesitating. In less than a second, each of the other students he had been competing with were following him. First it was Endeavor's son, creating a bridge of ice across the mines, then it was the Iida trying to outrun them. Katsuki took off seconds later in a series of explosions, and then the Yaoyorozu…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Followed the cracked marks Izuku had left in the dirt where he landed?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"C'mon, Katsuki!" Mitsuki called, clenching her fist, "kick his ass-! ah, no offense, Inko?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other guests chuckled, and Inko stopped wringing her hands to look at her, "That's not going to happen, Tsuki."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku span in place, static and red mist exploding along his arm as another grunt came from his mouth. Meanwhile Present Mic yelled, "</span>
  <b>No, Seriously, What The He-ck Is That</b>
  <span>!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>I'm calling Power Loader</b>
  <span>," the voice of Izuku's teacher said, the picture shrinking to show him, Present Mic and a third man sitting at the commentary desk. Advertisements for the Detnerat and Shieldwall scrolled along the bottom of the screen as Aizawa lifted his phone to his ear </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Please do,"</b>
  <span> a white haired man with a lisping voice said, "</span>
  <b>I want to know what it is</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>What's wrong with the-?"</b>
  <span> Aizawa said, before cutting off. Nodding, "</span>
  <b>I see, thank you</b>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>What'd he say</b>
  <span>?" The lisping man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>He can't tell from where he is</b>
  <span>," Aizawa responded, "</span>
  <b>but thinks it might be a buildup of energy from something</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Right…</b>
  <span>" Present Mic said, before trailing off, shaking his head and continuing, "</span>
  <b>And Here We Go, Final Stretch, Folks! Vlad, How's It Feel That None Of Your Class-</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Slow and steady, Mic</b>
  <span>," the white haired man said, "</span>
  <b>slow and steady. They might not win the first event, or even the second, but so long as they can pull out one in the third, they're still winners. Eraserhead should be worried that his class might burn themselves out in round one</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>They won't</b>
  <span>," Aizawa said, "</span>
  <b>I know they won't</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>And! Here! We! GO!</b>
  <span>" Mic said, Izuku bursting from the door with Iida and Todoroki on his heels like hounds of hell, Iida extending his leg and skidding low, "</span>
  <b>It's gonna have to be a photo finish, folks! And-</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku held out his left hand to Iida, who took it and was hoisted up, Izuku thrusting their hands into the air. The screen cut to the stadium view, where people were cheering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Well, I was worried</b>
  <span>," Vlad said, "</span>
  <b>They weren't particularly sportsmen-like out there in my opinion, but at least when the fight is done they're willing to support each other</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku held out his hand to Todoroki, who hesitated for a moment before taking it and shaking it, then doing the same to Iida. Izuku moved towards Katsuki, offering him the same hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki just nodded to his other arm, "</span>
  <b>You *BEEEP* that up to slow me down?"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku glanced at it, before shrugging one arm, "</span>
  <b>I can heal it</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>At least you know who's the threat</b>
  <span>," Katsuki said, "</span>
  <b>You aren't getting another win, Deku</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They aren't as close as they were," Mitsuki said, frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko nodded, eyes downcast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Ibara </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara made her way across the minefield with probing vines. Around her, the people who had used her bridge were moving just as slowly, after the black haired boy had made a wrong step and been nearly blasted off the course by a series of unfortunate falls, only his tape saving him at the last second. She suppressed the satisfaction she felt about that, after he had abandoned fairplay. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But still, she was coming to the unwavering conclusion. Even if 1-A wasn't "the killer class", like Vlad-Sensei insisted (not that she could support that. People </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> died during the USJ incident, and that meant there had to be members who violated the Sixth Commandment)... they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> insane. Whether it was hardening their body and charging through the mines, or sending a burst of electricity to detonating them, or sending a demon of shadows to detonate them in front of the user.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They seemed determined to do things in the bluntest way possible. Not that the purple haired boy from the General Studies seemed much better. He was standing there, letting the boys who had been carrying him charge through the minefield, setting off a set of the delayed explosives and be thrown off the course to look around in confusion, before the next one would do the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Top Ten </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>1) Midoriya Izuku </span>
</p><p>
  <span>2) Iida Tenya</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3) Todoroki Shoto</span>
</p><p>
  <span>4) Bakugo Katsuki</span>
</p><p>
  <span>5) Yaoyorozu Momo </span>
</p><p>
  <span>6) Honenuki Juzo</span>
</p><p>
  <span>7) Shinsou Hitoshi</span>
</p><p>
  <span>8) Kirishima Ejiro</span>
</p><p>
  <span>9) Tokoyami Fumikage</span>
</p><p>
  <span>10) Mineta Minoru </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuki X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If you had asked Izuku why he had attacked Katsuki instead of Iida at the least second, he would have hesitated for a long minute. Was it because he appreciated Iida's determination to play fair no matter what? Was it because it had been a challenge to stay ahead of him in the final stretch, and that was rare nowadays?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was both?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's time for the next round!" Midnight said, cracking her whip. Izuku should try making one of those with Beast hide one of these days. They weren't practical in combat, but little of what Hunters used seemed practical at a glance, "It's a team battle and it's…" behind her, the screen stopped rolling on… "Capture the flag! Here's how this is going to work. You'll split into teams of twos, threes or fours. From there, you'll each have ten minutes to set up your flag, worth the aggregate of your points from round one. The four teams with the most points by the end of an hour will win! And, to spice things up a bit, the first place contestant is worth ten million points!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately, on every side heads snapped to Izuku, followed by the subconscious tidal wave of killing intent weighing down on him. Izuku stood there, a tranquil smile on his lips. Just like Yharnam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Make your teams!" Midnight said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stood still as everyone split off in a hurry. If anyone wanted to join his team, they'd come to hi-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Izuku glanced at the pink haired girl who walked towards him with a wide smile on her face, "Partner up with me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who are you?" Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm Hatsumei Mei," the girl said, "and you're the guy with the weird weapons, right? C'mon, two of us together, we can't lose!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku nodded carefully, glancing around, "and your Quirk?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Zoom!" Mei said, tapping the corner of her eye, "it gives me telescopic vis-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That'll work," Izuku said abruptly, holding out a hand to Mei. She grinned, taking it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Got a plan then, partner?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, eyes locking onto two more contestants and trying to hide the frown at the word, "and if I can get two more, there's no way we can lose."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Mei </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mei watched the curved blade that Izuku had pulled out unfold and lock in place with a shower of sparks. A thin string seemed to form from pure silver, and he plucked it once, a hum like a harp coming from it as he did so, "Where'd you get that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It…" Izuku trailed off, his hold on the grip of the bow tightening to the point of a groan being drawn from strange leather and the polymer of his hand, "It belonged to a friend. Simon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh…" Mei said, nodding, "Why'd he give something like that up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- buh?" Izuku blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, I've never seen something like that!" Mei said, grabbing for the bow. Izuku pulled his hand away, and she chased after it, "Hey, c'mon, let me see her!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- why should I!?" Izuku demanded, face pulling tight as he back peddled towards their flag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's gotta be one of a kind, right?" Mei continued, undaunted, "custom made for him? So why do you have-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He didn't need it anymore," Izuku snarled suddenly, golden eyes staring her down, "now get to the edge and start spotting for me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mei blinked as the horn for the start of the capture the flag went off, doing so as Izuku slammed to bow into the ground and drew a red arrow from the mist gathering around him, more visible within, "two hundred meters out, a blond haired boy is coming out of the building on the left-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see them," Izuku said, finishing drawing the bow string with taunt muscles, "Hagakure? Ready?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yep</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" a cheerful voice came out of the speaker Mei was holding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Scamper," Izuku said, a look Mei couldn't quite place in his eyes as he loosed the arrow. The bowstring snapped forth with enough force to ruffle his hair with the passing, and the red arrow keened and became a streak of red as it went. The boy's blue eyes widened in Mei's sight when the shot dug into the cement in front of his feet and left him following Izuku's order.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You missed," Mei commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not trying to kill them," Izuku said, already drawing another arrow back, "get me another target."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tokoyami and Dark Shadow," Hagakure said, "Near me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's give them some light," Izuku said, finger brushing a strange pyramid with an eye, almost like that silly American conspiracy. The arrow began to glow as he drew back, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shall we, Simon</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words rose in the language of Yharnam, or English in this world. Muscle memory that wasn't his own drew back the arrow, the Radiance rune lightning it a brilliant silver. He closed his eyes, plunging himself into darkness. Methodically, but not slowly, he let each finger snap from the string biting into the fingers, savoring the feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hundred and twenty pounds of draw weight, far beyond what a normal person could pull back but necessary to kill Beasts in one shot, released itself, sending a spear of light to hunt for its target like its master had scented it with blood. Izuku breathed out, lowering the bowblade as a loud squawk of protest rose from where he had shot the arrow. Grabbing another arrow, he quietly nocked it on the string.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thank you, Simon. For everything. For the Echoes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Toru </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru watched Izuku's silvery arrow flash across the gap where she was hiding crouched. It punched a wide hole through Dark Shadow, dispelling him with a flash. Toru burst from the shade, hitting Tokoyami in the side of the face with a heavy haymaker and watching him drop. Before she could drag him away, a hand slapped his head… and the blonde haired boy from 1-B had just enough time to look smug before the shadows exploded around him, the look fading seconds before he was submerged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hagakure!" Izuku called, "get out of there!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But-!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll deal with it," Izuku said, "Get to safety with Tokoyami! Any cover will do, even if it gets you captured. Ok?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru bit her lip, before running into cover with her bird headed classmate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hatsume," Izuku said, "Do you have any way to make sure I can be heard?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- yeah!" Hatsume said, "I was saving this for-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Everyone</b>
  <span>," Izuku said, "</span>
  <b>Someone just did something </b>
  <b>
    <em>very </em>
  </b>
  <b>stupid. I can deal with it myself… but I'd prefer we drew a truce until it's dealt with.</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Neito </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Monoma Neito fought the Quirk he had copied, trying to turn it off as it dragged him into the shadows of one of the buildings. No, he was better than that, he was stronger than-!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Quirk just gave an inhuman roar and refused to deactivate. They plunged into the building together, shattering the lights and the last thing he saw before the Quirk enveloped him entirely was the green haired boy from 1-A landing on the ground in front of the building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That idiot, did he… did he want to die?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku grabbed the resin soaked torch from the Little Ones, igniting it with a strike of fire paper and throwing it into the dark. Nocking an arrow, Izuku drew it back without hesitation. The monster of shadows swung its hand at the torch even as the skin warped away unnaturally, and Izuku loosed the glowing arrow, blasting apart the hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grabbing a pair of molotovs, Izuku struck the fuses and tossed them into the building as Todoroki and Kacchan landed next to him. The beast roared, recoiling back from the fire and making it just possible to see the boy fighting the Quirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ready?" Izuku said, drawing Chiseki and pushing it from the sheath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's save the dumbass," Kacchan snarled, sparks flashing along his hands, "I have a capture to flag match to win."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Todoroki nodded, stepping forwards, "Let's do this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku cracked a small grin, before taking the lead faster than the other two could, appearing behind the arm he had shot in a rapid spin, unsheathing the blade and taking the arm off at the 'shoulder'. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd kill the beast as many times as it took to free its hostage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Katsuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki watched as Deku dodged the new arm that exploded from the mass of rampaging shadows as the claws brushed across his chest. Thrusting one hand into the roaring mouth of the Quirk, a skull of red flames blew the head off and him back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A burst of mist covered him, and Deku landed on all fours next to Katsuki and Todoroki. Katsuki lunged forwards, sweat pouring down his hands, "Deactivate your Quirk, Dumbass!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-" the blond haired boy flinched, "I can't! It won't listen to me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, that would have been easier, but he guessed that was too much to ask for. So instead…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Keep hitting it," Katsuki ordered, blasing two holes in the shadow as claws swung for him. Before they could hit, Deku was between them, sheath in one hand and sword in the other. Katsuki took the moment to fall back before Izuku flickered away in a burst of mist. A spike of ice lanced from Todoroki, ripping through the side of the shadow, "If we tire the damn thing out, it'll fade eventually!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku appeared behind the shadows, sword swinging wide and beheading it before he landed on a piece of rubble and kicked off, punching through the shadows and trying to grab the blond. It refused to let go of him, and eventually Deku had to let go and flip to reorientate himself again, "We need more light, then I can get him out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind them, a camera bot lowered, watching them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great, now they were fucking entertainment. Wasn't this against the rules or something? Where were Midnight and Eraserhead?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Inko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko had stood up as the fight had begun, pacing rapidly and worrying her nails. Not that Mitsuki was taking it much better, she had fallen into Inko's seat, hands clenching tight as she watched Katsuki join the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why isn't Endeavor's kid using fire?" One of Mitsuki's friends asked, and Inko nodded along with the question. It was logical wasn't it? Even the info card that appeared next to him every time he was focused on said his Quirk was "Half-Cold Half-Hot."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Should We Intervene</b>
  <span>?" Present Mic said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>No</b>
  <span>," Aizawa immediately responded, "</span>
  <b>They need to show that they can deal with unexpected circumstances. Especially since the other Teams are going to use this as an opportunity to go for the flags while those three are busy</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka listened in as the other teams approached, holding the strange gun the support had given her, a 'capture' gun. Aiming towards the barricaded door, she prepared for it to burst open. Finally, a fire axe crashed through the door and Yaomomo had just enough time to dive out of the way of the first net, letting it wrap around the horned girl from 1-B. Before she could stand, Kyoka fired again, wrapping around the black haired class rep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seconds later, the pink haired girl who she was teamed up with came down the stairs, tossing two round orbs at the doorways and setting them off with a remote detonator. The rubber cover popped open with a comical hiss, and she pulled out a second capture gun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought you were helping Midoriya?" Kyoka asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's a bit busy," Hatsume said conversationally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," a voice said, and Kyoka looked over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What-?" Kyoka's body locked up as a purple haired boy with frizzy hair grinned at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks for answering," he said, nodding towards the flag, "Now, get me- ahk!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could finish, a bola was tossed his way from Hatsume, the rope slamming into his open mouth and letting the balls clang into his jaw with a nasty crack. He fell backwards, out of sight, while Kyoka stood there, incapable of moving. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What-? What was-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get me the flag," he spat, staggering upwards and to his feet as Hatsume pulled out another remote detonator and pressed it. As Kyoka turned towards the flag, the bolas flashed and wrapped around his legs, sweeping him off his feet. Why, why was she moving? What was-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Hatsume angled her gun at Kyoka and knocked her off her feet with a net. She rolled, sweeping up Kyoka's gun and angling them at the doorways as Kyoka regained control of her body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't talk to him!" She snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damnnit," the boy growled, punching the wall. Dangling from the other hand were the bola, which he tossed at Hatsume, "Get me that flag!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shortly after that, three people began to climb over the wall. The purple haired boy from 1-B, Aoyama and Shoji.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at the writhing boy, hand opening and shutting. When he had tried to grab him, the shadows had clung to his frame, the skin where they attached to his body stretching and protesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If they wanted to free him without killing him, they were going to need to weaken the shadow. Which meant light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ignited another pair of molotovs, throwing them on either side of the beast and rushing through the flames. The gorilla-like frame slammed its arms down, and Izuku Quickened himself. Drawing Chiseki with flash, Izuku dropped the sheath and grabbed the Rakuyo with his now free hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last knight of Cainhurst became a vortex of steel, throwing caution to the wind to keep the beast focused on him. Limbs of shadow were cleaved apart, ectoplamic viscera exploded from the creature with each slash and stab. The beast began to flicker after ten strikes, and a spike of ice exploded up to the head before Kacchan charged it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DIE!" He howled, blowing the head off of the shadow, sending the boy trapped within falling. Izuku rushed forward, dropping both weapons and grabbed them, lowering him to the ground…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And dodged the open palm, "That would only end badly for everyone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that dry comment, Izuku smashed Isshin into his face, shattering his nose and knocking him into consciousness. Standing, Izuku stared down Todoroki, who had frozen the way into the building shut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," Izuku didn't believe that for a second, and judging by his tone, Todoroki didn't expect him to, "but I can't let either of you out of here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reaching down, Izuku took a simple silvered longsword from the Little Ones, "Then I'll have to force you to move. Sorry. Kacchan?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kacchan snorted, crossing his arms, "Either way, you're both stuck in here, why would I want to help?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fair enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku bared his blade while lifting his other hand to his communicator, "Hagakure, move back to the base. I'm gonna be stuck in here for a few more minutes and I want you to help defend it until I get back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Are you alright</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, before dropping his hand and rushing towards Todoroki.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Shoto </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto had barely enough time to regret his actions before he was forced to dodge the first slash from Midoriya. He felt the ice he had created pressing against his back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This had </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> been his best idea. Rolling out of the way of the second strike, Shoto prepared for the third. It never came, with Midoriya instead focusing on the wall of ice. His prosthetic hit it once, leaving a slight indentation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're wasting-" before Shoto could finish, Midoriya plunged his sword into the mist. A loud click echoing before it came up, having changed like so many of Midoriya's weapons were wont to do, though this was perhaps the most stunning he had seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hesitated to call the weapon he was looking at a hammer. It was too big, too rough, and likely too heavy. It was a slab of pure stone acting as a sheath to the blade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It came overhead in a crescent that shouldn't have been possible, smashing into the ice and sending an explosion of fault lines across it. Midoriya pulled the hammer back in a batter's swing, and as Shoto watched, smashed through the ice, sending a spray of sharp shards cutting into everyone in the building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't have time to fight you right now," Midoriya said, dropping the hammer and letting it vanish, "I'll see you in the next round, Todoroki, Kacchan."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he was off before either of them could respond. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>So, turns out I’m a lying liar who lies, and works really well (or badly, your choice) under pressure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku entered the building his team had set up the flag, Chiseki flashing out of the sheath and the kashira of the blade slamming the first person, the diminutive purple haired boy, against the wall with a loud bang. The blade was sheathed, staring at Kendo and Momo standing across from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Going all out to capture our flag?" Izuku said, softly. Both girls nodded, Kendo raising her hands and Momo brandishing a staff. Izuku nodded, polymer wrapping around the hilt, "Hagakure, go on," Izuku said, "this will only take a moment."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru nodded, rushing past them as they stared at Izuku. A faint smile split his face, "You could have stopped her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We just need to beat you," Kendo said, "You're the threat. Then we can mop up the others."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm honored," Izuku deadpanned, pulling the trigger that deployed the hidden blade within the sheath to draw blood from his hand. Rushing forwards and drawing his sword in one fluid stroke, nothing more than a streak of red-black was visible before he stopped the swing, having severed the staff Momo had created and launched a stream of blood to knock her back. With his other hand, he used a backhand of the sheath to deflect an attack from Kendo. Sliding back, he flipped the sheath out of the icepick grip and rushed forwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once, Annalise had called him a devil with the blade when things became serious. And while this was still a non-lethal competition, Izuku had sworn to win for the Doll, he bore his Lady's favor on his arm. As a knight of the Cainhurst, Izuku was honorbound to win, and win he would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku pulled back the odatchi, Quickening his arm and unleashed a rain of stabs towards Kendo, dropping his sheath while she swung her fist at him. Izuku dodged wide, ignoring the fist and grabbing her by the head and slamming it against the wall with a loud crack, letting her slide down. Grabbing the sheath again, Izuku renewed his assault against Momo while behind them medical bots rushed in and removed Kendo on a stretcher. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As a teacher, Izuku couldn't help but be proud of Momo. She used her spear to back away the first strike, then the second, before stabbing into his arm and twisting the blade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Subclavian," Izuku said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know," Momo responded, "but it stopped you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only for a second," Izuku said, ripping the blade from his arm and renewing his assault, faster than Momo could respond. Finally, Izuku forced her to catch both blade and sheath in an overhead block, kneed her in the groin and hammered the side of her head into the building, letting her drop as the droids rushed to recover her. Now, here was where the real fun began. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Inko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko watched Izuku watch toward the three people trying to break into his team's base, his sword lightly scraping against the wall. They turned, the horned girl staring at him for a second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>This</b>
  <span>," Present Mic said, "</span>
  <b>Is About To Get Hairy</b>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku lifted Chiseki, staring down the girl with horns, a boy with a comic panel for a head, and another boy with fur on his face, "Are you going to let me pass?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," the girl said, launching a horn at Izuku like a missile. Time slowed as adrenaline and substances that shouldn't exist in the human body were released from his adrenal glands and into his bloodstream. Izuku stepped forwards, before batting the horn into the wall with the flat of the blade and rushed forwards. Their eyes widened in slow motion, before the furred bow began shifting into a heavy Beast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was with him and Beasts today? He wasn't even in Yharnam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku jumped, threading his hand in the Beast's hair and slashing into the back. Flipping the sword into a backhand grip, Izuku-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was forced to abort the stab as another horn launched at him, kicking off the beast and deflecting the attack. And then-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>「BIRIBIRIBIRI」 lightning onomatopoeia crackled from the balloon headed boy's… head, forcing Izuku to bite back a laugh and thrust his sword into it. The Dissipating Lake absorbed the lightning, and Izuku launched it back in a wave before he hit the ground, blasting the beast upwards with singed fur. Izuku landed, deflecting another horn from the girl, "Last warning, step aside."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, damnit,</span>
  </em>
  <span>" the girl snapped, and for a second Izuku's eyes widened and the secretion of adrenaline, if whatever was in his body could be called that anymore, moved into ever further overdrive. What was a Yharnamite doing-? No, it was English, it didn't have the hard to place accent of Yharnam, part drawl and part rasp, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>My team, my class, is counting on us</span>
  </em>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Very well</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Izuku said, holding his sword, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>It's a foolish act, but I can respect it."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Pony </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pony stared with wide eyes as the green haired boy shifted his grip on the strange sword he held, red and black energy gathering around it, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>You… You speak English</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>After a fashion</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Izuku- Midoriya said, the accent nearly Slavic, more energy gathering around the blade, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm surprised you do.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm Pony Tsunotori</span>
  </em>
  <span>," she greeted, forgetting the fight for a second to appreciation someone other than Mr. Mic who could speak her mother tongue fluently, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Japanese-American</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Izuku Midoriya</span>
  </em>
  <span>," he said, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>a pleasure, but now… here is the paleblood sky, the cosmos bled dry,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> the first recitation was accompanied by the sword moving like a paintbrush. Red energy mixed with flames and lightning created a giant line across the air, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>hear as the funeral bell rings, for this is the end of all things!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A second line intersected the first, creating a giant X, and then he snapped his fingers. Loud and resounding through his gloves, and the X launched towards her. Seconds before it hit, Jurota threw himself in the way of it, taking the blast and sending him crashing through the wall and out of the building with a loud bang. Izuku watched him go with a sigh, and Pony gritted her teeth, firing both of her horns at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In yet another flash that Pony couldn't keep up with, Izuku shattered the horns. And Manga took up the attack, 「KA-BOOM!」. A wall of force flew at Midoriya, crashing into him and sending him flying ba- and in the time it took Pony to blink, Izuku was charging </span>
  <em>
    <span>along </span>
  </em>
  <span>the onomatopoeia, grabbing Pony by the horns and throwing her into Manga and out of the building. The last thing she heard because they both crashed into Jurota was a dispassionate, "Time's almost up, huh?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Round 3</b>
  <span> X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya Izuku </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jiro Kyoka </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hagakure Toru</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hatsume Mei</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bakugo Katsuki </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirishima Ejiro </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kaminari Denki </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Todoroki Shoto</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yaoyorozu Momo</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashido Mina</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kendo Itsuka </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiozaki Ibara</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tokage Setsuna</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Komori Kinoko</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honenuki Juzo</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamakiri Togaru</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Momo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where's Midoriya?" Momo asked, looking around the lunch room. The green haired boy wasn't anywhere she could see him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He ducked into a classroom before we got here," Jiro said, "Said he wasn't hung-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me," Momo said, biting back a sigh and flagging down a Lunch Rush. The clone of the hero stopped, "Could you please make me a bowl of katsudon?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lunch Rush gave a thumbs up, heading towards the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came out with the bowl and handed it to her. Momo offered a smile and the hero gave her a thumbs up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Going to find him?" Jiro said, standing up and following Momo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Momo said, "He should really eat."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think I've seen him do it once since school started," Jiro said, before nodding towards a door, "He's in there, come- Midoriya, what are you doing?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a good question. Izuku was sitting at the teacher's desk, weapons sitting around him, his odatchi and the saber he used resting on the desk with oils and rags. He looked up from staring down the open barrel of his break action gun, thankfully </span>
  <em>
    <span>from</span>
  </em>
  <span> the breach meaning there wasn't any chance of blowing his head off (not that it was likely to stop him, given what he had survived at the USJ), even if he had wanted to. But then…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not going to be using that, are you?" Momo asked, stomach rolling as she stared at the gun. Izuku blinked, before offering a genuine laugh and smile, shutting the action.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Izuku said, "I was told if I used a gun during the Festival I would be immediately disqualified. But Evelyn is a dear lady, and as such, if you're to tend to the other weapons, you must tend to her too."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know what's more worrying," Jiro deadpanned, "That you named your gun, ot that you sound like you're fetishizing it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a type of gun," Izuku said, "and every true blooded owner of her would tell you the same."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seriously, fetishizing," Jiro repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The way you talk sometimes," Momo said to her blade mentor, "I wouldn't be surprised if you revealed that you were a undead knight."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Undead? No," Izuku said, lowering the rag he was using to take care of his gun, 'Evelyn', "Did you two need someth-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku blinked when Momo put the bowl and chopsticks in front of his face, "Eat."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You said everyone should give it their all today," Momo said, "You can't do that on an empty stomach."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Using my own words against me?" Izuku muttered, "Dirty. Fine, I'll eat. Anything else?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What did you think of last rou-" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was terrible," Izuku said without missing a beat, wolfing down his food, "I get it was randomly chosen, but the mechanics encouraged going after my flag to the exclusion of all the others. With everyone's flags in a redoubt, it was smarter to break through and take ours than fight through enough teams to make up the difference. Meanwhile we could stay back and hold off an assault with no threat. We didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to take the fight out of our base because everyone was going to come with us and if we could hold the line we were assured a place in the tournament. Which will hopefully be interesting. The last event probably wasn't that much more fun to watch for the people at home."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Tournament bracket</b>
  <span> X ---</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Midoriya Izuku V. Komori Kinko</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kirishima Ejiro V. Shiozaki Ibara</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Todoroki Shoto V. Honenuki Juzo</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hagakure Toru V. Kyoka Jiro</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hatsume Mei V. Yaoyorozu Momo </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaminari Denki V. Kendo Itsuka.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bakugo Katsuki V. Iida Tenya</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tokage Setsuna V Kamakiri Togaru </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stepped into the ring without a weapon, even though his hands itched for one. He wasn't allowed to bring one with him, he had to use his Quirk to get them once the battle started.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not the most prohibitive thing in the world, but one that left the Hunter in him distinctly unhappy. To enter a fight without a weapon at all was something Gehrman would have clobbered his upside the head and around the knees for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hell, he'd probably clobber Izuku around the knees for even participating in this at all. Leave the showmanship and such to the Church Hunters, those of the Workshop worked in the quiet dark, blades flashing out and ending lives. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Remember, the ways you can win are by knocking your opponent unconscious, forcing them to resign, ringing them out, or making me and Cementoss agree that you're unable to continue. Are you both ready to begin?" Midnight asked, looking between the two. Both nodded, and she cracked her whip, "Then begin!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku grabbed Chiseki, not even bothering to draw it as he rushed towards the girl and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was only his well honed sense for danger that let him jump back and avoid most of the field of spores that exploded from the girl suddenly, sprouting into mushroom when they hit a solid object..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Including Izuku's hand. Mushrooms began to sproutz tearing apart the skin and drawing blood. No, that wasn't happening-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His blood ignited, burning away the mushrooms and leaving Izuku with a slightly maimed right hand. Izuku shifted the blade to his left hand, letting the right one hang limply at his side while the girl finally talked, "Now, what was that for~? They're just pretty mushrooms!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll have to agree to disagree on what counts as pretty," Izuku said, eyeing the spores still hovering in the air and spreading towards him. An airborne mine field, clever. But not clever enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quickening his body, Izuku rushed through the field, feeling skin tear as new mushrooms settled and sprouted. And then-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku staggered, finally stopping and gasping for air he couldn't get. Don't tell him, she had-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, dear," Komori leaned down, smiling at him, "it looks like you got some spores in your throat. I'd suggest you surrender before-" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku lunged up, grabbing her by the face and, with a rasping grunt, slammed her through her own mushrooms and into the ground before giving ground as more spores exploded from the girl. His vision wavered slightly, and he gripped his throat. He needed to get them out, he needed to get them </span>
  <em>
    <span>out</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kinko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kinko watched Midoriya stagger up, breathing with a ragged, almost beastly noise. Against herself, she took a step back, breathing in and nearly choking on the mushrooms that sprang in her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya took a step forward, his breathing becoming something that could only be described as a death rattle. He began to walk through her spores and bloody fungi began to rip through his skin, "Ju- just give up!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I…" the word came with more exertion than it should have. The noise sure to haunt her dreams for many nights to come, "will… not…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midnight-Sensei!" Kinko pled, stepping backwards, "call the match!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why… would… she…?" Midoriya said, his right eye covered by fungi now like a horrible tumor, more sprouting and ripping his throat apart, "I'm… not… unconscious… I'm… not… resigning…. and... I'm… not… ringed… out…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But you're going to die if you don't give up!" she insisted. Midoriya laughed, and it was the most haunting sound she had ever heard. There might have been amusement, but it might also have been completely mirthless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… swore… to… someone… important… that… I… would… win…" Midoriya said, barring mushroom mared teeth, grabbing her by the edge of her outfit as she released more spores on instinct. His right hand torn to shreds, he hoisted her up and threw her out of the ring, "and… so… win… I… will…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya is the winner!" Midnight declared after a moment of stunned silence, and Midoriya vanished into mist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>The Doll </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doll watched Izuku appear, a reproach on her lips… that died as she saw his torn form, "are you alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… will… be…"  Izuku rasped, sitting and letting the mushrooms begin to wither and fall off his skin, "I… won… the first round of the tourney. I should probably go and make sure they aren't worrying once I'm done healing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," the Doll said, "I'm proud that you would think to do so, Izuku."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to win this for you," Izuku swore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know you will," she said, "My Good Hunter."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm going take take a moment to shamelessly plug my new story, Not All Who Wander Are Lost.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Psudo-interlude time! Sorry if this chapter doesn't have much sustenance. I've been really burned out the last month or two. Working on a MHA/Destiny fic right now to try and get the mojo flowing. </p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Inko X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko watched the fight with heaving breath. At some point, Mitsuki had sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around the green haired woman, pulling her into a hug. One hand latched onto the arm around her front, an anchor in the horrible storm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her baby. Her baby. Izuku. No, no, nononono. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Call the fucking match!" Mitsuki was bellowing at the screen, face looking like it wanted to go pale even as she flushed in anger, "What the fuck are you idiots doing there!? First that villain attack and now this!? Call! The! Fucking! Match! Before he kills himself!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Nerumi</b>
  <span>?" Present Mic was calling as the screen finally, mercifully cut away from the torn apart form of her son and focused on Midnight. She was watching the match with wide eyes and an open jaw, mouthing at nothing, "</span>
  <b>Hey! Now isn't the time to be zoning out!? C'mon-</b>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>I'm going down there,”</b>
  <span> Aizawa said, voice grim as he shoved his way out of the chair and stood to his full height. He turned, practically bolting from the room like a bullet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>Goo- What</b>
  <span>!?" the camera swung back to Izuku and his opponent, who was in a death grip from him. Lifting her, he threw her from the arena bodily, "</span>
  <b>I-</b>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"M-Midoriya is the winner!" Midnight called, hoping down from the podium and rushing towards him with a pair of robots holding a stretcher, before their eyes, Izuku seemed to become indistinct and fade, before vanishing entirely as Midnight's hand passed through him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>We're… we're gonna take a intermission to clean up the arena and… and… yeah…</b>
  <span>" Present Mic said, breathing in, "</span>
  <b>Let's… let's have a word from our sponsors, I guess? Holy he-”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The screen smash cut to a Shieldwall commercial as Inko crumpled into Mitsuki's arms, crying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Shouta X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shouta tore through the halls, reaching the locker room designated for teachers and ducked in. Dark eyes landed on Nerumi, and he crossed the space between them in a few strides.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I messed up," she croaked, not raising her head from where it was bowed, resting her forehead on her thumbs as she tented her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" He asked softly, crouching down next to her. Nerumi looked up, eyes haunted, "You're-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just… I wasn't expecting that, Shouta," Nerumi said, "We've had injuries at the Sports Festival before, but… never that bad. Not while I worked here. What was she thinking, growing </span>
  <em>
    <span>mushrooms in his throat</span>
  </em>
  <span> on live television? He looked like he was about to die…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small corner of his mind flashed to Midoriya's body, reduced to a pile of rotten meat or decapitated. He probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>about to die.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can you go back out there?" Shouta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's no need," Shouta's eyes snapped to the doorway, where Nezu was walking in. The mouse… bear… whatever, looked around, "I'll be taking over as referee."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Si-!" Nerumi started, only for Nezu to raise a paw.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't blame you for your reaction, Nerumi," Nezu said softly, "What happened out there was… unexpected. And arguably over the top, even by this school's standards. If Chiyo was right there, I might have authorized it… but the chances of anyone other than Midoriya surviving long enough to get to her from the arena were low. But the crowd believes you slipped up, so I'm going to request you step aside for this year's festival and let me take over."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Kan's voice said suddenly, and Nezu pulled out a small communicator. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Sekijiro?" Nezu said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Midoriya just showed up here</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Kan said, Nerumi's head jerking towards it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How is he?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Voice sounds slightly shot, but otherwise you wouldn't know anything happened to him. He's talking to Komori, doesn't seem to be any hard feelings on his end</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well," Nezu said, "That's something at least. As I was saying, Nerumi, please step aside and let me take charge. I don't want to have to pull rank on you, as it were, but I will if I have to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kinko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kinoko sat in her chair, staring at her hands even as Pony and Setsuna tried to calm her down. She had… had… she hadn't expected it to go that way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who just </span>
  <em>
    <span>refused</span>
  </em>
  <span> to surrender when they were having trouble breathing? Or when his skin split open, and his eye…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sob tore out of her lips, and she clenched her hands. Spores pressed against the pores of her skin, wanting to sprout out. But she had… had…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Komori?" She turned at the deep, lisping voice of Kan-Sensei, the white haired man stepping into the seating designated for 1-B, his orange mask off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"K-Kan-Sen-" her voice died there, and she bunched up the front of her sport's uniform as he approached her. This was it, this was where she got in tro-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kan reached out, hesitating for a second before planting a hand on her shoulder. His brow, always pulled low, was different from normal. The scowl was lighter, "Are you alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was… was she alright? What did- "Mido-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya will be fine," Kan said, "He's dealt with worse according to Aizawa. How are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… I didn't mean for it to happen like that," Kinoko said, voice quivering, "Am I going to get in trouble?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kan's face darkened for a second, "Not if I have anything to say about it. You're not used to using your powers and-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bro!?" A voice called from the other side of the wall dividing 1-B from 1-A. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So that doesn't kill you either?" A girl's voice said, dripping with sarcasm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not any harder to kill than a normal person, Jiro," a rough voice said, causing Kinoko to lock up, "It's making sure I stay dead that nobody's ever figured out. Pass me one of those water bottles?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kinoko pulled out of the three people grounding her and rushed to the barricade, Kan-Sensei right behind her. Sitting there, a bottle of water in one hand was Midoriya. A Midoriya who's sports uniform was nearly in tatters, exposing his thin body and scaring around the arm, but one who didn't seem otherwise harmed at all as he gargled water before spitting out the cloudy substance into a small jar in the mist at his feet, "You're… you're alright?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midoriya glanced over at her, "I'm fine. How about you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should be a bit more careful," he said, offering her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, though also didn't seem disingenuous, "I'm probably the only person who could just shrug that many mushrooms off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Hero Watch</b>
  <span> X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>■</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Welcome to the Hero Watch message boards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You are currently logged in, </span>
  <span>Blood girl</span>
</p><p>
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</ul><p>
  <span>■</span>
</p><p>
  <span>♦ Topic: UA Sports Festival Megathread (Currently Day One, Freshman)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In: Boards ► Recent Events ► Kanto ► ►</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snikersnack (Original Poster) (Moderator)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Posted On Apr 14th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yearly thread time. Remember to keep things civil, we don't want a repeat of the bans from last year.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span></span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Showing page 229 of 230)</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Hammerdown</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, dear sweet...</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Overloaded Axe</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>[Edited: Yes, it's horrible, please refrain from a post that is nothing but cursing.]</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Rustic Farmer</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What's Midnight doing? Midoniya looks like he's gonna die!</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Hamerdown</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why's Cementoss not doing anything either!?</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Archmage (Pro Hero)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Midoriya is the winner?" He looks like he's about to dro what the heck?</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Meta Defender</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Where'd he go? He needs to he healed, not</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Snikersnack (Moderator)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We're... gonna lock the thread for a few minutes. Just cut off this explosion before it gets too bad. Once the next match starts, or UA releases a statement, we'll unlock it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[EDIT:Unlocked]</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Archmage (Pro Hero)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why are they pointing at the Hero Course?</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>►Juggler</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Replied On Apr 18th 20XX:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is that... Midoriya? What the, he doesn't even look hurt... well, except his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span></span>
</p><p>
  <span>End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 227, 228, 229</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Inko </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko's crying, if anything, got harder as the camera snapped to Izuku talking to the girl he had just fought, looking no worse than he did any other day. He was… was…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell?" Mitsuki muttered, running a hand through Inko's hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well," Present Mic said, sounding unsure of what to say, "It… uh… it looks like Midoriya is fine, folks! We'll send him to Recovery Girl for a quick checkup and, ah… yeah, we'll tell you the results of that after the next match? Sorry if I seem a bit flustered, that's bad form for a commentator but… I really don't know what to say on this one. We've almost got all the mushrooms cleared off the field so the next match will start soon? We'll put up the info if Kirishima Ejiro and Shiozaki Ibara for a couple of minutes while our sponsors give another word."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Tomura </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tomura planted his pinky on the glass of water he was holding, letting it disintegrate and splash around the bar as he crushed the pills he was supposed to be taking to help with the burns. He knew that shit wasn't gonna stay down, but he had hoped it would have lasted longer. Still watching him nearly die again had been… satisfying. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Very</span>
  </em>
  <span> satisfying.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Gehrman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this is something I've wanted to put out for a while, but couldn't find a place to put it in the story. I figured, might as well just post it as its own separate bit.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>--- X Gehrman X---</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/WFbjOlJRyBw">It </a>was with hands holding more strength than he expected that Gehrman freed the chest he kept hidden in the wine center. Fingers that had long lost their elasticity caressed the chest while phantom pains briefly flashed. Where Isshin Ashina had severed his gun arm below the shoulder with the Dragon Cross just before the end. Where Djura had punctured a lung with his Stake Driver.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Hundreds of Hunters had been through the Dream, some left willingly. For others, it was a fight. And then there was tonight.<br/><br/></p><p>"The hunt is very nearly done," Gehrman refused to look at the source of the voice as he climbed out of the celler and placed his chest on the workbench. He opened it, eyes taking in the worn blade and lifting it. Spinning, he swung it once, listening to the off key dirge as it nearly hit the doll.</p><p> </p><p>It didn't flinch, didn't respond to the attack. Gehrman breathed in, picking up the whetstone and began to work at the blade. Slowly, methodically, he ran the pumice over the old blade. It needed to be as sharp as possible, for what was to come.</p><p> </p><p>"The hunt is very nearly done," the doll repeated in Maria's voice. Gehrman's grip on the stone and hilt tightened for a second, before he finally spoke.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Yes," Gehrman said, continuing the process, "Dawn comes soon."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>They sat in uncomfortable silence, the doll tidying his books. Books on the biology of Beasts, of history, of dealing with grief and seduction. From when he had thought he would escape this hell alive.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>That thought was accompanied by a particularly harsh strike of the pumice against siderite, sending sparks flying. He closed his eyes, breathing in.</p><p> </p><p>"He won't leave," the doll said.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"I know," Gehrman responded, continuing to work at the blade.<br/><br/></p><p>"What I mean," it started, "is-"<br/><br/></p><p>"I know what you mean!" Gehrman snapped, grabbing one of two empty guns and spinning on his peg leg, catching himself on the edge of the workbench. The doll took a step towards him and he growled, gripping the gun tighter before forcing him into a stable position, "I know what you mean. But I won't go easily. The boy doesn't know what he's consigning himself to, so it's my job to make sure he doesn't!"</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The doll took a step back as Gehrman rose and turned back to the Burial Blade, "Izuku is going to win."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"You sound sure of that," Gehrman tried to hide the laugh. Yes, yes, he probably was. Gehrman was out of practice, while Izuku had spent the night that was longer than a night becoming a sharp blade.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Only because I am," the doll said, simply. They fell into silence, and when Gehrman next swung the Burial Blade, it keened a dirge. It'd end a life in one blow.<br/><br/></p><p>Good. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Grabbing both guns with his other hand, Gehrman nodded to doll, "Get out."<br/><br/></p><p>"I-"</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Get out now," he repeated, heading for the door to the Workshop himself. Once they were both out, he offered one of the guns to it. Pale porcelain wrapped around it, confusion in the fake eyes. Maria would never have looked at him like that, "don't interrupt me."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Yes," it started.<br/><br/></p><p>"What did I just say?" Gehrman demanded, before breathing in and holstering his gun, "...I know, I haven't always been the best creator for you. You're just… you weren't what I wanted when I made you. And that might not be either of our fault, but I took it out on you and that was... But you took care of me these years, and that care has been… well enough. So thank you, for that at least."<br/><br/></p><p>The doll bowed its head slightly.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Make me a promise," Gehrman said. Pulling out a bottle of oil he had kept for this day and wrapping a wick around it, "Take care of the boy. You weren't what I wanted… but you are what he wanted. Hells if I know why, but he thinks the world of you. Loves you even. So when I'm dead and gone and he's trapped here without anyone other than you… I don't think he'll be as miserable as me. Not in the short term at least. And that might make him a fool… but I'd rather he be a happy fool than a miserable one full of regrets like me. Can you do that?"</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"I love him," the doll said quietly, "of course I'll care for him."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Good," Gehrman said, lightning a phosphorus match up, "Then I guess I wasn't a complete idiot to make you."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"For what it's worth," the doll said quietly, "I loved you too."<br/><br/></p><p>"I know," Gehrman said, putting the match to the wick, "but the way the boy looked at you the first time he saw you lying there. The way he looked when you spoke to him for the first time with your damned annoying kindness. The way you two behave… it's a different kind of love. So when I'm dead just go pretending I never existed. Be happy for as long as you two can. The sun will rise for me soon, but the night will be long for him. Let the past burn away."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>And with that, he tossed the cocktail into the workshop and watched it explode, catching old papers and quickly spread. Within a handful of minutes, the place where he had spent most of his life was a roaring inferno.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Keep that gun," he said, turning and walking towards the field of flowers where his wheelchair sat, "give it to the boy when you think he's ready for it… or to another Hunter when the time comes. I really don't care anymore."</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ejiro walked through the small tunnel leading to the arena with nausea curling in his gut. The obvious thing to blame was the stress, the tension. This was it, his first Sports Festival at UA. And he had made it to the third round, where he would be able to show off to the world what his manly spirit could do…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But part of it was, obviously, the death of his classmate last round. Sure, Midoriya hadn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> he died, but when that much of your body had become mushrooms and you could barely talk without sounding like your throat was going to cave in… you were probably dead. And Ejiro, unlike Midoriya, didn't have the ability to pop up from dying like it was a nap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would be fine, the Principal had taken over for Midnight. They wouldn't let a repeat of the last fight happen… and they wouldn't let a repeat of his kill at the USJ happen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And just like that, they were at the heart of the matter as he stepped into the arena, looking up towards where Mina and Midoriya and the rest of their class sat. Most of them, all of them except Midoriya, as far as he knew, hadn't… hadn't killed anyone at the USJ. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like Ejiro had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ejiro closed his shaking hands, as he noticed Midoriya had covered his body with his rapidly becoming signature green coat. Considering the cameras on him as Present Mic (with a guest appearance from Recovery Girl) announced his clean bill of health, it probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> become iconic to him. Like Crimson Riot and his mask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a minute, Ejiro could have sworn Midoriya's eyes met his across the hundred feet separating them. The camera drones didn't look to be annoying him as he quietly nodded, pulling his coat tighter around his left side as one daring drone came in to try and get a shot of his arm. Midoriya's vision broke from him as he gave the drone a strange look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just for a second, Ejiro knew that if he could have gotten away with it, Midoriya would have destroyed the drone then and there. Then his head snapped to the other contestant. The one Ejiro would be fighting to get to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-fight Midoriya. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a feeling like his stomach was falling out from under him, Ejiro realized why Midoriya had been staring at him. Was staring at the girl, Shiozaki. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sizing them up. Like a wolf.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A true hero didn't give up in the face of fear. They kept moving forward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ora!" Ejiro yelled, punching his fists together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you both ready?" The Principal asked, looking between the two. Ejiro nodded, and so did Shiozaki, "Then begin!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ejiro charged forwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Part of Izuku really wanted to go skeet shooting with a particularly annoying drone as he watched Kirishima and Shiozaki come out into the arena. It was distracting and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku pulled on the left side of his outfit to hide the telltale drawing of a throwing knife as the drone obviously maneuvered to get a clean shot of him, only to immediately hit a sort of invisible wall around the students. Not a literal one, but the minute it hit a certain distance, a red light flashed on. One, two, thr-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The drone suddenly stopped and flew away. A small cubby opened in the walls around the top of the arena and it nestled in, before snapping shut. Izuku cracked an amused smile, before focusing back on the fight about to start below them and returning the knife to the hidden pocket. If that wasn't a message that UA was serious about reporters not harassing the students, nothing was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>UA seemed to have tightened security since the break in. Good, that never would have happened in Yharnam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...And there he went acting like things would be the same here as there. Yharnam was a lot of things, disease ridden, non-functional, and xenophobic to a fault. People would (and had) brandish blunderbusses, flintlock pistols and rifles and even the occasional Hunter's relic through windows to make it clear you weren't wanted so much as near their house. And it wasn't a bluff, as Izuku had learned too many times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if he survived the bullets, Izuku would be fairly certain he'd either be suffering from lead or mercury poisoning, or rattling as he walked from those rounds if he hadn't lost his original body to being mauled by a beast…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Should he be having an existential crisis about tha-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Deku," a voice snapped him back to reality, Kacchan's red eyes glaring at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm?" Izuku turned, watching the cameras out of the corner of his eye. They were focused on the match going on behind them, so Izuku finally released the knife entirely and let the green coat hang across his shoulders again. Kacchan's eyes jumped to the scarred arm, before his mouth pushed into a thin line. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck happened to you?" Kacchan finally said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you-?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't give me that shit," Kacchan snarled, eyes blazing as he stepped forwards. Izuku set his jaw as the taller boy stepped up to him. His sight got sharper, and he felt the air brushing against his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not… you changed. Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I told you-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you give me that bullshit of "I had to grow up" I swear I'll fuckin' ki-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Death doesn't frighten me, Kacchan," Izuku said, causing the blond to stop. Around them, the Little Ones swayed, offering weapons. They wanted to help, but didn't realize there wouldn't be a fight here. Not if they didn't both want to be disqualified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey-" one of their classmates, the blond said, "Don'-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stay the fuck out of this," Bakugo growled, "I want-!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't see," Izuku said, voice growing icy as he met Bakugo's eyes. The wind picked up for a second and his heart hammered in his chest, his hand gripping the spot where Chiseki's pommel should have been, "Why you're entitled to an answer."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bakugo stopped, staring at Izuku as he pushed back and headed toward Hagakure and Jirou, "Dek-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't have to explain what happened to me to anyone," Izuku said. Not that they would understand. The horror of the Night, the Thrill of the Hunt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The beautiful dance of two Hunters facing off in a darkened Clocktower, candlelight and their burning blood lighting up the room. Of fighting Great Ones.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Ibara </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara watched the redhead charge forward, just for a moment, before sending a set of dancing vines at him. His skin became sharp and angular as he crossed his arms in front of him. The vines wrapped around him, but he just planted his feet and tore through them, slowly and laboriously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes, sighing. He couldn't do this easily, could he? "Please just surrender."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," the boy called, pushing further and finally snapping through the vines. He stumbled forwards a few steps before continuing his charge. Ibara closed her eyes and breathed in, clapping her hands together in prayer. Her hair began to dance, before splitting into more vines and launching towards him, "Wa-aahh!?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Father… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Crucifixion," Ibara said, opening her eyes to the Kirishima hoisted into the air by her vines which had wrapped around each other and ultimately him to form a thick trunk with two branches of his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had formed, in short, a crucifix.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Call the match," she said to the principal, "Please."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ejiro," He said, looking up at the redhead, "You can't continue, can you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- I-" Kirishima strained against the vines for a second longer, before dropping his head, 'No, I can't, sir."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Very well," Nezu nodded, "Young Ibara will be moving onto the next round!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara turned away as she let Kirishima down. She breathed in, heading towards the way out…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When a windburst of ice seemed to dump on her. Glancing up, she watched Midoriya glare at the blond haired boy, not even offering her a glance. Mist had begun to cling to him like a shroud, and Ibara fought the urge to begin praying under her breath. Something… had made Midoriya unhappy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she had to fight him next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no way that was a good thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Shoto X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto stepped out into the arena, doing his best to drown out the roar of the crowd as he stared across the gap at the grinning member of 1-B. At least, he thought the other boy was grinning. It was difficult to tell when he was missing his lips. But his cheeks were pressed against the bones and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever, it didn't matter. He had to win this, because…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, Midoriya breaking through his ice wall last round hadn't exactly left the best impression, if he was honest. Locking himself </span>
  <em>
    <span>behind</span>
  </em>
  <span> the wall with Midoriya also probably hadn't given the best impression of his tactics either. It had made sense in the heat of the moment, how else was he supposed to know what was happening in there? It would have been all too easy for Midoriya and Bakugo to ally together to get out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though given the thick tension, he hesitated to call it "killing intent" at this point, but only just barely, hanging over 1-A seating since the brief conversation during the last match, maybe he should have let them. They might have had that conversation in the ice and knocked each other out. Or, more realistically given what he had seen so far, Midoriya would have beaten Bakugo into unconciousness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or would he have? That was the problem, Todoroki couldn't identify much, if anything, about Midoriya. They had been classmates for nearly a month and the other boy was just as enigmatic as he had been on the first day… if not more so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ok, that was an understatement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> more so. After the start of the USJ… after his match…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something was wrong with Midoriya, and Shoto was aware enough of his life to know that when </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> felt the need to say that, it was a bad bar. Because he had problems in his life, that was sure as hell true, but he got the distinct feeling that nothing Todoroki Enji had done came close to what had unsettled Midoriya Izuku.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ready?" Nezu said, and at the nods, he swung one palm down, "Go!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto stomped his left foot down, sending a torrent of ice towards the other boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Juzo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Juzo's grin was probably scaring a kid watching the Sports Festival right now, and he felt kinda bad about that. But he really couldn't help himself, Todoroki had just done exactly what he expected. And that made this easier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the wall of ice approached him, the pale haired teen activated Softening and  charged forwards. Breathing in, he plunged into the cold, semi-solid and began to swim through it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It burned, his Quirk didn't change the fact that it was friggin' </span>
  <em>
    <span>ice</span>
  </em>
  <span> pressing against his skin, but that didn't matter. All he had to do was get to Todoroki and lay into him, and he'd win. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> gonna win this, he had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wouldn't forgive himself if he lost, after 1-A tore up the charts in the first and second events. He had to get far enough in to pay Midoriya back for traumatizing Komori.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Shoto </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoto's eyes widened slightly as the wave of ice, a super move he was going to have to name some day, turned gelatinous. Immediately, his brain ran through ideas before it landed on the most basic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He created another layer of ice over the first. Honenuki's eyes widened within it, apparently realizing what Shoto was trying to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still needed to breathe in there. So if Shoto just kept him on ice for long enough, he'd have to submit or pass out. Either way, Shoto could then release the ice and get him out of there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was assuming the ice burns didn't make him submit before that point. The ice was still cold, and being surrounded by it on all sides had to be just as hellish as…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The echo of hot water burned across his left eye. Even with the best treatment money could buy (nothing less for Endeavor's </span>
  <em>
    <span>masterpiece</span>
  </em>
  <span>), his sight had never fully recovered. His skin was still marred with what his father had done to his mother. What he had driven her to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Todoroki!" Shoto snapped to attention, eyes jumping to Nezu. Dark eyes ran up the heterochromatic boy's body, and then the principal spoke softly, like to a spooked animal, "Please don't get distracted. We already had one injury today because someone wasn't focused, we don't want another. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah!" Shoto's head snapped up, watching Honenuki slide down the glacier, which had suddenly re-hardened. He slammed his fist into Shoto's gut as he landed, causing him to curl around the fist, "I want you focused on me when I win."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why should I?" Shoto gasped out, before lunging forwards along the fist and grabbed Honenuki by the shirt and jabbing them across the face, "When you were just gonna hand me the yourself on a silver pla- oof!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Honenuki kicked Shoto off of him and towards the edge of the arena. The heterochromatic boy created a wall of ice to stop himself, breathing out a puff of chilled air. His temperature was getting low. He had to win this, now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Creating a wave of ice to run on as Honenuki tried to soften the ground below him, Shoto dove off it, grabbed the other boy and drove another jab across his face. Slamming them both into the ground, Shoto froze Honenuki and slammed his chilled right arm against Honenuki's neck, "Surrender."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-" the ice softened, and Honenuki's arms exploded out of it, going for Shoto' head. So Shoto did the other thing that he could when so chilled and in such a position. He slammed his elbow into Honenuki's neck, "-ahk!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Surrender," Shoto repeated, frost crawling up his arm and Honenuki's neck, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… I surrender," Honenuki said, and Shoto threw himself off of the other boy, panting puffs of cold air and feeling his muscles fight his movements.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Todoroki Shoto is the winner!" Nezu said, while Shoto began to slowly move towards the glacier, "Todoroki, go relax. We have several fire heroes on hand that can melt this for us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka looked up at 1-A's seats as she stepped out into the strangely muted arena, and frowned as she realized Midoriya was in the far back, head tilted down and his worn tophat pulled over his eyes. She bit back her offense. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he thought her and Toru's match was going to be boring enough for him to nap through? They'd just have to fight hard enough to make him regret that when he woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ready?" She asked Toru, who was bouncing in place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well," Nezu said, waving a hand down, "then feel free to begin!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Kyoka could respond, Toru had stripped off her shirt and pants, letting them fall to the ground, and kicked her shoes off at Kyoka. She dodged left, watching them sail by and out of the ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've got to thank Izuku for putting on his hat when I asked," Toru said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Toru </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Toru was honest, it was still embarrassing to be naked in front of thousands of people, more if she included the ones at home. But she needed to give the best showing </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, against Kyoka, and the same was true for Kyoka. Because Toru wasn't stupid, and after the last match it was pretty clear they weren't getting another chance. Neither of them had enough firepower or a Quirk that naturally countered the amount of ice Todoroki could throw out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka's jaw had dropped, and her head swiveled to look at Izuku. His hat had been adjusted so it was now covering his entire face, his green hair not even remotely covered, "He's not asl-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Kyoka could finish, Toru ran across the arena as fast as she could and slammed a fist into the other girl's jaw so hard she span in a full circle, staggering back with jumping eyes, "Sorry, Kyoka, but… I've got to win here!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka's feet finally found purchase and she reached up to touch her jaw. Breathing in, she raised her fists into a boxer's stance, her ear jacks writhing like a snake, "Alright then, let's go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Toru said, tightening her hands, "We're only gonna get one shot, you know that, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That Todoroki is a monster," Kyoka agreed, "but like you said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we're</span>
  </em>
  <span> only gonna get one shot. So don't expect me to hold- oof!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toru had lunged forward, driving a single fist into Kyoka's gut below her guard. An earphone jack lashed down and around the arm before Kyoka headbutted Toru. The invisible girl staggered back, pulling on the jack as hard as she could to force Kyoka to let her go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good luck, Hagakure," Kyoka said, settling back into the basic pose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same, Jiro," Toru said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then the fight began in earnest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Kyoka </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka closed her eyes as To- Hagakure ran at her. They wouldn't help, so she might as well just use the sense that would, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't as easy as she expected. It took her nearly ten hits, ten aching spots across her body, before she finally managed to catch Hagakure's punch with her forearm before it managed to hit her side. Then she did the easier part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was surprising just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud</span>
  </em>
  <span> the human body was when you had super hearing. Bones creaking, stomach rumbling, heart beating. And so, despite not being able to see Hagakure even if she opened her eyes, Kyoka landed a perfect punch to the invisible girl's gut. She gasped and staggered away from Kyoka, who took a confident step forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when Hagakure tried to dodge around her, Kyoka swung an arm out to clothesline her. It was only when the whistle of displaced air warned her a moment later that she had time to regret it before Hagakure's fist found her side in a spike of pain that forced her eyes open. Kyoka growled and lashed out with her jacks, wrapping them around Hagakure's legs and driving the tips in. A weak heart pulse staggered the girl with a gasp of pain, letting Kyoka rip her feet out from under her and begin a spin to throw her from the arena.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if she had been looking, she obviously wouldn't have seen the hands wrap around her jacks until it was too late, pulling her back and onto Hagakure. A hand wrapped around her neck in a rough chokehold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka drove an elbow into Hagakure's side and slammed her head back to smack Hagakure in the chin and send her head back into the cement of the arena. Grabbing the weakened arm, she ripped it off her before scrambling away from Hagakure, panting. She hadn't trained for martial arts like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, given Hagakure's gasping, neither had she. They were both almost out of steam. They needed to work on endurance when this was all done with, even with the race earlier in the day, this was… wasn't very good. Or maybe it was?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn't really know where a base human's ability to keep going on these sorts of things were. Izuku and Ojiro could have done it for longer, no doubt, but they were both seasoned fighters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoka rushed forward, towards Hagakure's panting. Dodging under a whistle of air, she got close enough that she could feel Hagakure's breath on the top of her head… and then a knee smashed into her side and sent her staggering right into Hagakure. They both smashed into the ground and Kyoka slammed her jacks into the cement to anchor herself before she threw the first punch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It hit Hagakure's wrist, and a whistling swing gave Kyoka the chance to block a punch aimed for her own side. Punching down again, she managed to hit Hagakure flush across the cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like she hadn't even-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hands wrapped around her jacks, pulling her down face first into Hagakure's forehead. Cartilage shattered and blood began to pour down Kyoka's face. Jerking up with both of Hagakure's hands still on her jacks, she released them from their moorings and drove them into Hagakure's wrists with a loud squelch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another heartbeat, and several loud, to Kyoka at least, cracks were accompanied by an equally earsplitting shriek of pain from Hagakure as her now broken arms let go of the jacks on instinct, "I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For-" the words were said between whimpers and sobs while Hagakure fought to curl up with Kyoka on top of her, "for taking the- the chance?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For hurting my friend," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're not friends here," Hagakure said, before raising her voice as loud as she could, "P-principle N-Nezu? My arms are b- broken, I- I've got- gotta forfeit. Jiro is the winner."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Very well," the Principal said, "I wanted to make sure you didn't have anything kick related before I called the match. Jiro, could you please help Hagakur-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"To Recovery Girl?" Kyoka asked, helping Toru stand, carefully avoiding her wrists as she did so, "Yeah, obviously. C'mon, Toru, let's get you patched up… and maybe myself too, I think I might be peeing blood otherwise. Did you have to hit me in the side so many times?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you have to break my arms?" Toru asked back through a combination of sniffles and laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Kyoka shot back, "You're the one who started pulling my jacks! Those are sensitive, you know!"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
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